Finding Nakama
by 8XxAnimexX8
Summary: The "Lucy Leaves" cliche, but do you honestly think that a story containing over 50 chapters is going to be cliche? Things start to get unique before the tenth chapter I swear. NaLu and Sticy moments sprinkled everywhere and what is an adventure without a few OC's? Of course there are going to be other pairings as well :3
1. Kicked Off!

**Hey guys, this is my very first fanfiction, ever. I do not own Fairy Tail (even though it would be pretty awesome) Hiro Mashima does. Please read and enjoy!**

**_~Lucys POV~_**

I woke up early this morning in a good mood, mainly because Natsu didn't sneak into my bed overnight. I took a warm bath and used my favorite Vanilla Strawberry shampoo to wash my hair. Afterwards, I threw on cute pink top, dark denim jeans, black lace up boots, tied a bit of my hair to the side with a red ribbon, and a belt with my keys attached to it. I put on a little eyeliner and blush, ate breakfast and headed to the guild.

As usual, the guild was as rowdy as ever, chairs flying across the room and beer splashed on the floor. I dodged my way to the bar, careful not to not end up like Bisca, who was now out cold on the ground because a beer mug hit her in the head. I sat down in my favorite seat, and called for the beautiful bartender with silver hair.

"Mira!" No reply.

I sighed, it's been a little over a month since Lisanna came back from Edolas, and the guild was partying like crazy. And for the whole time, everyone has been _completely_ ignoring me, as if I wasn't even there. Even my team, Team Natsu, wasn't taking any jobs because they were too busy listening to the white haired mage tells stories about her adventures in Edolas. This meant I had to take a lot of solo missions; my rent isn't going to pay itself.

Each time I came back from a mission, I would have the occasional cuts and bruises. The only people that did acknowledge me were Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, and Master. Wendy would of course heal my injuries and Levy would keep me company, most of the time. Right now she was on a job with team shadowgear, Gajeel and Lily are off training somewhere, And Wendy is with Carla, also on a job, leaving me alone for a while. I think the reason is that most of them were newcomers to the guild like me, and Lisanna was just a stranger to us. Lisanna seems like a really nice person, well according to the guild members said about her.

"Miiiiiraaa" I cooed, hoping to get even the slightest response.

"WHAT" she snapped and I flinched.

"Um, c-can I g-get a v-vanilla m-milk sh-shake?" I quivered under the evil glare she sent me.

"_Fine_" she retorted shoving the shake towards me, causing it to slosh some of the drink on the counter.

"Th-thanks Mira" I said, hoping to get a smile from the usually cheery takeover mage.

"_Whatever_" she grunted back as she turned around to talk to her dear little sister with a bright smile.

I slumped back into my chair with a sad expression, thinking 'how much worse can this get?' and I drank my shake. Suddenly, Natsu came over with his signature toothy grin and plopped himself in the chair next to me.

"Hey Luce" he casually said, as he put his arm around my shoulder, making me blush a bit.

You see, I've had this little crush on the Salamander, but he's such a dense idiot to notice. I guess it started when I fell from the Phantoms "sky dungeon" and him catching me. There's just something about his goofy grin, and messy pink -scratch that- _salmon _colored hair, and his muscular…wait, I'm getting off track.

"Y-yeah?" My god, I seriously need to stop stuttering today.

"So, I was thinking, Lisanna should join the team."

"S-sure, I have no problem with that." This is a good opportunity to know more about her, so now I won't feel as left out.

"No, I mean, I think Lisanna should _take your place_." He said in a serious tone.

"_WH-What?!_" I was shocked; did he realize how much those words _hurt_?

"Yeah, I mean, you aren't the _best_ when it comes to fighting, and I always end up saving you because you can't handle it yourself." He stated nonchalantly.

Then Gray and Erza walked over.

"Yeah, now you can train more so you won't be _so weak_." The ice mage said rather coldly (pun intended).

"Y-you th-think I'm _weak_?" I'm weak? I'm not weak, N-no that can't be…

My eyes were starting to water, tears threatening to fall down, but Erza hadn't said anything yet, she'd back me up… right?

"Actually, I agree with these two. You always complain about your rent, now you won't have to share the reward when you go on a job." She said, taking a bite out of her strawberry cake.

I can't believe this. I feel like I've been betrayed, by my own _nakama_ too. This all started with Lisanna and her returning from Edolas, no, I can't think that way, it wasn't her fault. Maybe they're right, maybe I am just…weak.

"D-do you guys really mean that?" I said still quite shocked by this whole situation.

"Of course we do." They said in union.

Then Lisanna bounced over to the bar with a smile that went from ear to ear, as if she was happy that I was being kicked off the team."

"_So_" she said in a sing song voice

"Are you okay with this?" she smiled brightly.

No, no I am definitely _not _okay with this. I am _not_ okay with being called weak or getting kicked of my own team. I am _not _okay with being thrown away like trash. I am not okay with being ignored every single day for the past _month_ and then this happening I. Am. _NOT_. OKAY. But I can't tell them that, most of the things that they said _are_ true. And I also can't go whining and crying about this. I have to respect their decision.

"Yeah, it's okay." I said after a moment, with a smile plastered on my face, but that smile was a sad smile.

"Yeah! Thanks Luce! You're the best!" Natsu exclaimed with the widest grin I've ever seen.

"C'mon guys! Let's go on a job! Now we won't have any dead weight holding us back!"

And with that, my heart shattered into a million pieces, a single tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. I got up from my seat and ran out of the guild hoping nobody noticed, not that anyone would.

**Thanks for reading this guys!**

**Please Review**

**This is my first Fanfiction ever, so please don't be too critical!**

**I'll try updating the next chapter in 1 or 2 days!**

**Bye!**


	2. Decision and Departure

**Hoped you like the first Chapter! I do not own Fairy Tail; it goes to the one and only Hiro Mashima! I try updating no longer than 2 days after the previous chapter ;D**

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

"Hmm, eto…" Erza scanned the request board (eto = 'umm' or 'uhhh')

"Ah! Guys, let's do this one!" The pink haired mage grabbed a paper.

"EEEEEHHH?!" his team exclaimed in union.

It was a job located on one of the hottest places in Fiore, Magma Falls. It had volcanos spewing lava practically everywhere, and instead of ponds, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls, there were lava lagoons, Magma Rivers, and magma falls! Of course Natsu of all people would choose such an outrageous task.

"N-Natsu, I think that's a bit…_extreme_ for us…" Lisanna mumbled while Gray and Erza sweat dropped.

"How about this?" The ice mage held up yet another intense job.

This time, it was in a deep cave hidden within Mt. Hakobe, the coldest place in Fiore. The girls just sweat dropped once again as their eyebrows twitched a little, while Natsu snatched the request out of Gray's hand and burned it to a crisp.

"No way _ice princess_!"

"What did you say _flame brain_?!"

"Do I hear arguing?" Erza questioned, sending a murderous glare towards the two mages who were now smiling with their arms linked together, when just 2 seconds ago it looked like they were about to kill each other.

"Eheheheh nope!" Gray said, hoping his life would be spared.

"Aye!" Shouted Happy #2.

Speaking of Happy…. The guild doors opened revealing a little blue cat with white angel like wings holding a fish wrapped in a shiny green bow.

"Where's Carla?" The little neko asked.

"She went on a job with Wendy, what's with the fish?" Natsu questioned.

Happy mumbled something about "confessing" and "giving fish to show feelings" but nobody paid any attention to Happy's love life problems.

"Oi! Happy, help us pick out a job, we can't decide!" the fire mage shouted over all the ruckus the guild was making.

"Aye sir!"

"Oooooh! This one seems ok." Lisanna stated holding up a job and waving it in the air. The team sat down as she read it out loud.

"900,000 Jewels to travel to the far east of Fiore to a city called Merrill and get rid of all the bandits."

"Seems like a good warm up mission for our new team, I like it." Erza talked with a mouthful of cake, how very…unladylike. Happy's ears perked up at these words.

"Eh?! New team?"

"Oh, that's right, Lucy is off the team now and I took her place. Well, Lucy was sort of a replacement for me when I 'died' so I guess it really doesn't make a difference. "

Happy felt a variety of feelings at the moment. Confusion, because he didn't know anything about this until now. Anger, because of what Lisanna said about his dear friend Lucy and because Lucy was off the team. But then he felt normal, because he knew that Lucy would have said something if she wasn't okay with the idea of being 'kicked off' the team. So he just nodded and said "Aye!" once more.

"Then it's settled, the trip to Merrill alone is a few days, and it shouldn't take more than a day or so to eliminate the bandits, so it'll only take about a week to complete the whole thing." Erza stated, her inner smartness showing off even as she broke up yet another fight between Natsu and Gray.

The new and "improved" team (as they would say it) approached Mira so she could approve it. The bartender simply nodded as she marked it down in the request book. They left shortly after that, and Natsu was practically begging them not to take a train.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I look at myself in the mirror, ugh, I'm a mess. My eyes are all puffy and red from crying on the way home and my hair is…..I can't even describe it! My apartment now had the occasional tissue on the floor and teardrop splatters on the letter I wrote to mama, it says…

_Dear Mama,_

_ Today was one of the worst days I've ever had. Ever since Lisanna came back I've been ignored by the guild, except for the few people who are now my only friends. I can't believe what happened today though. I got kicked off of Team Natsu! I guess the more that I think about it; I was just a replacement for Lisanna. I may be able to forgive the rest of the guild. But I absolutely cannot forgive my old team, ever. I thought I was their friend, their nakama, but no, I was wrong, they are just cold hearted people. Maybe I'm just saying these things because I'm sad, and maybe I would forgive them in a few weeks…more like years, but I'm not going down that easily, not without a fight!_

_ Love, your daughter,_

_ Lucy_

* * *

After my little pity party, it was almost 10:00PM. I took a nice, long, relaxing bath, threw on a tank top and some sweatpants and threw myself on the bed. I laid there for a few hours thinking what I should do. I couldn't go back to the guild, it would be too humiliating. Even though nobody but me and Team Natsu know about the situation. I still couldn't bear to show my face for some reason. I know what I should do now; I would keep my promise to mama. I will leave the guild temporarily and train as hard as I can. So that I wouldn't be called weak ever again. But I can't just suddenly disappear…

"Ah! I'll write them letters!" I said, thinking out loud. As I drifted into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early at about 5:00AM, I then began writing letters.

The first letter was addressed To Fairy Tail:

_Dear Fairy Tail,_

_ I'm sorry that this happened so sudden, but by the time you read this letter, I should already be gone… don't go looking for me or else I won't be able to complete my task. I thank you for all of the happy moments I've had with you guys. But I will be leaving to train for… I don't even know how long. I guess, what brought me to this decision is what has been happening recently. I was ignored by the majority of you. But don't feel too bad about your actions, I'll miss you guys!_

_ Love,_

_ Lucy Heartfilia_

* * *

The next letter was addressed to Master and the few others that recognized me for the past month.

_Dear Master, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily, and Levy,_

_ Sorry for leaving, but it's just something that I have to do. Thank you for 'supporting' me in my time of need for the past month. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I will miss you guys the most. I hope you respect my decision of leaving and so suddenly too. I will always think of you when I'm gone, my true nakama._

_ Love,_

_ Lucy Heartfilia _

_ (P.S. don't go looking for me)_

_ (P.P.S. Carla give Happy a chance)_

* * *

And the last letter, to my Ex team, Team Natsu:

_Dear Team Natsu,_

_ Well, I hope you're happy now, not only am I not a part of your team anymore, but I have also left the guild. Each and every one of you played a part in this. I thought you were my nakama, but for the past month you didn't even care to glance my way._

_Gray, you have been like a brother to me, make sure you don't go stripping anymore when I'm gone, and if I ever do come back you and Juvia better be together, because I will make sure I am strong enough to kick your butt if you don't. But ever since the Lisanna event, I guess you're just a 'brother' that I used to know. I'm looking forward to fighting you in the future._

_Erza, you, like Gray, were like a sister to me, maybe even closer than that. I always enjoyed watching as you broke up a fight between Gray and Natsu and making special strawberry cakes for you. But I guess those cakes didn't seem as important to you when Lisanna returned. Ha, maybe I'll be strong enough to beat you IFI come back, maybe…_

_Happy, even though you weren't there when the team decided to 'break the news' to me. You too, have ignored me. Although I don't blame you as much since you're just a baka little neko (baka = stupid/idiot). And IF I come back, I hope Carla learns to accept you._

_Lisanna, reading this letter, you must think I hate you by now. But that's not really true. In my opinion even though you ARE the cause, it's not like you meant for this to happen, right? I'm sorry I didn't get to know you for the past month; I couldn't find the right opportunity to start up a conversation._

And saving the worst for last…

_Natsu, heh, where do I begin? When I first came to Fairy Tail I was glad you were the one to bring me here. I always thought of you as my best friend, maybe even more. But you are too dense of an idiot to realize. So it broke my heart even more you, personally, practically kicked me off the team. I don't think you have any idea how hurt I was when Lisanna came back, when people started ignoring me, when YOU started ignoring me. Salamander, I will be looking forward to beating you in a future battle._

_Bye guys, I hope you feel the guilt of letting me go._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Lucy Heartfilia_

* * *

By the time I sealed the envelopes, packed my bags and headed out of my apartment. It was already almost 6:00AM I dashed towards Fairy to get my guild stamp removed. As I opened the doors I noticed there was only Mira in the guild hall, cleaning the bar counter.

"Um, Mira…is Master here?" I asked afraid she might react like she did the previous day.

"Uh yeah, I think so sweetie, he should be in his office." She said rather sweetly, she didn't even look up from the counter, so she probably didn't know it was me.

"Thanks."

**_~Normal POV~_**

Lucy walked towards the Master's office, and as she opened the door. She saw the little old man reading papers (more like complaints) from the council. He looked up to her as she walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"What is it that you want my child? And at such and early hour too." He shuffled the complaints setting them down, and then looking at Lucy with a questionable look.

"Um, I want to leave Fairy Tail." She said with a bold look, even though she was shaking on the inside.

Master looked shocked.

"Now, why on Earthland would you want to do that?!" he said in a surprised tone.

"Well, I have been feeling a little betrayed by the people of the guild, other than you and the few friends I now have. And just recently I was kicked off of my team, they called me weak. I want to leave to become stronger." She stated, feeling more and more confident.

Master pondered this thought for a moment before nodding his head with a sad smile.

"Ah, I see, and for how long do you wish to leave?"

"I don't know, however long it takes I guess."

Master now had tears in his eyes; he never thought a day like this would come. A day where his own children would drive another out.

"Give me your hand my child, I shall now remove the Fairy Tail mark." He stretched out his hand holding a cloth.

Lucy hesitantly stuck out her had as the Master took hold of it. Placing the cloth over her mark, he began chanting. A moment later, he took of the cloth. Her mark shimmered and glowed and then disappeared. Lucy gasped, trying her best to hold her tears back.

"Th-thank y-you." She said as she slowly walked out of the office, and the out of the guild rubbing her hand where the mark once was.

She took her suitcase and stared at the guild from the outside for a long time, 'I'm going to miss this place' She thought, As she made her way to the train station. The Masters tears slowly falling down as he turned back to the paperwork.

* * *

**Sooo, how was it?**

**Sorry if it's a little depressing right now, but it'll get better, I promise!**

**Once again, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I'm currently working on the next chapter and will be updating as soon as possible!**

**Bye!~**


	3. Arrival

**I'm updating this chapter a bit earlier than usual because I'm not sure if I'll have the time tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews! Now, this is where things get interesting! (he he) Unfortunately, I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does *sigh* Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

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******_Normal POV~_**

After Lucy got on the train she traveled for 3 days eventually settling down in a forest in western Fiore. There were many luscious green plants, many of which were poisonous. There were a variety of animals, from steel scaled lizards to 'dissolve in water' fish. Loki had appeared several times when she had fallen off a small cliff, or slid down a mudslide. But she didn't want to depend on her spirits all of the time; she wanted to become stronger not only magically, but physically as well. She couldn't always be the little princess who needs help. So after a few times, she managed to convince Loki to return back to the Spirit World. And after a few hours of searching, Lucy had found a cave hidden behind some tree vines. She sighed as she began to unpack.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted. Who knew riding a train could be so tiring?" as she said out loud and then she suddenly stopped.

"That's right, I came here to train so I won't be so weak anymore and so I won't complain for such petty things like a train ride…" she muttered under her breath.

"That's it! Starting tomorrow I shall stop whining and train like never before! HAIIII!" (Hai = yes/okay)

As she continued to unpack, folding her clothes in a neat pile in a corner of the cave, rolling out a few blankets and a pillow near the back of the cave, and taking out energy bars and placing them by her 'bed', she started to hum a lullaby that she remembered from when she was little. She took out a pen and tome paper and began to write. (Yes, even in the middle of a forest, she's going to write another letter.)

* * *

_Dear Mama,_

_ Three days have passed since I've made my decision to leave Fairy Tail. I am very tired, but still determined to do what I think is right. I miss everyone very much at the moment, maybe even my old team. Haha nah. I'm doing fine now; I found a cozy little cave in this big forest I've come to. And I can't wait to train myself tomorrow morning, because right now, I'm pretty much depleted of all my energy. Missing you._

_ Love, your daughter,_

_ Lucy_

* * *

As she sealed this envelope and put in in a box she wondered how Fairy Tail and Team Natsu would react when they found out she left. _IF_ they found out. It'll probably take them decades by the way they were currently treating her. And if they did notice, she knows they would notice the letters she left for them on her desk. She just hoped that Levy, Wendy, Gajeel, Carla, and Lily would forgive her for leaving (well, maybe not _Gajeel_).

The sun had just set by the time she finished unpacking; she nibbled on an energy bar, not very hungry because of her anxiety for the next day. And she curled up into the blankets and shut her eyes. After what seemed like forever, she still couldn't fall asleep. Something was missing….She had an idea.

"Open Up! Gate of Canis Minor! Nicola!" She chanted holding out a silver key as Plue stepped out of the portal.

"Pun puuuun?"

Lucy held onto him, _'just this once'_ she thought, _'just this once' _pretty soon she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**_~Next Day~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"_KYAAA! ~_" I shrieked as I felt something move in my blankets.

It couldn't be Plue because he already returned to the Spirit world shortly after I had fallen asleep, and besides, this creature was long and scaly. What could it be? Then, a snake head popped out from under my pillow.

"_KYAAAAAAAAAA_!" I jumped out of "bed" and scrambled over to the other side of the cave.

Apparently, around 5 snakes had slithered into my cave while I was sleeping, why? I don't know. Then I heard a wrapper crinkle. I looked over to see that they were eating my supply of evergy bars! The snakes ate them! Since when did snakes eat energy bars?! Wait, they weren't exactly snakes…They had a pair of tiny arms and legs sticking out on the side and spiky horns on their heads and scales that shimmered different colors and patterns.

_'Were they dangerous?! What's with the 3 forked tongue, p-poison?! It looks like it could be a Devil's offspring!'_ I grabbed the closest thing next to me to use it as a weapon against the 'deadly' monsters, apparently it was a hairbrush.

"St-Stay back!" Great, I was now talking to snakes. They looked at me like I was from another planet.

They all cocked their heads to the side staring at me in confusion, after a moment it started to feel kind of awkward. But then they just turned around only to see one last energy bar. They growled, making me flinch, their scales then turned a fiery red flashing in anger. Then the tug-o-war game began.

Contestants: 5 Snake Creatures

Prize: 1 Special Edition Raspberry Energy Bar!

3…2…1…_BEGIN!_

I just sweat dropped at this. Ugh, now what am I going to eat for breakfast? I gathered some clothes and silently left my cave which was now occupied. Eh, first I was kicked out of my team, now I'm getting kicked out of my 'house' too?! Unbelievable.

I walked around quite a bit taking in the forest. There was a small stream not too far from the right side of my cave. I took a quick drink there and changed out of my pajamas. I was now wearing a bright green ribbon tied in my hair, a pair of beige shorts, sneakers, and a dark green tank. I had to blend in with my surroundings, y'know?

I returned to my cave afterwards, only to find energy bar wrappers strewn about and my blankets ripped to shreds, great, just great. I took a few things as I left the cave because I was starting to get hungry and I had no more food left, typical.

About a mile away from the cave I saw a bush of berries that I've seen in Mangolia. _'Heh heh, well they_ _can't be poisonous if they're in Mangolia.'_ I thought. Picking a few handfuls and shoving then in a bag I brought along. I also found a bird's nest with some eggs in it. So I took a couple, wrapped them in a cloth and put those in my bag as well. I know it sounds cruel but I just couldn't help myself, I. Was. So. _Hungry_. I then made my way to the small stream to rinse the berries, and even though it took great difficulty, I managed to make a small campfire and a find thin slate rock too cook the eggs with. Overall, it took quite a lot of time for a small meal not even worthy of a breakfast. (A/N I don't even eat breakfast) And by the time I finished, it was past lunch. I ate the small portion of food and sighed. . I guess this would be a little harder than I thought it would be.

As I made my way back to the cave to put some of my belongings away I realized that more than half the day was gone and I haven't even don't any training! First, I overslept. Then, to make it even worse I couldn't even get a decent meal on my own. I stopped to look at my reflection in a small pond. My clothes were dirty from crawling in the bushes to collect the berries, and my green ribbon had somehow fallen off and was now nowhere to me seen.

I sulked back to the cave but when I got there, I wasn't alone. No, there weren't any more snake like creatures battling for energy bars. But instead there was a girl who seemed to be the same age as me.

She had dark brown hair like Cana, only a bit wavier, almost curly, and it almost reached her waist, a black leather jacket, along with black denim jeans, and black converse.

Her back was facing me as she scanned the cave.

"What is this _trash_ doing in _my_ cave?!" She said in a rather angry tone. Then she turned around and saw me.

"And what are _YOU_ doing here?!" She gave me me an icy cold glare with her slate grey, stormy eyes, an evil glare that put Erza to shame.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of this chapter!**

**Who is this mysterious bad tempered girl?**

**There isn't going to be much romance in the beginning, but it'll happen soon, I promise!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Bye!~**


	4. Astrid

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima likes to keep it to himself -_- Hope you find this chapter interesting!**

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**_~The City of Merrill~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Tch, I didn't think the mission would have taken this long." The Scarlett haired mage glared at Lisanna, making her shrink back from the group.

"Gomenasai minna." (Gomenasai = sorry) (Minna = everyone) She hung her head down in shame.

"Hey, it's not really your fault; it surprised all of us when most of the bandits turned out to be mages." Gray tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, well, if she had paid attention a little more, she wouldn't have gotten caught." Erza turned to Lisanna. "You should try keeping a weapon at your side and not rely on your transformation magic all the time. Something like Lucy's whip, Lucy wouldn't have gotten caught so pathetically like you did." Erza snapped as they walked towards the train station going back to Mangolia.

It wasn't really the mission Erza was mad about. It was the fact that half their stuff was destroyed when Lisanna was doing a poor job at guarding it while everybody slept. And by the time they had all woken up, all of her cakes were either gone, ore smashed to the ground. She fumed in anger remembering Lisanna's petty excuse about _'the bandits using magic'_ or '_she was out numbered'_. In the end, she got revenge on her precious little cakes by personally getting rid of all bandits while Natsu and Gray were idiotically _fighting each other_.

"Erm, well, in Edolas, we were always on the run. So we didn't really take on that many missions. For the past 2 years all I did was help Edo-Mira serve drinks at the bar." She made a nervous laugh as she skipped over to Natsu's side.

"It's okay; it's been your first mission in a long time so I understand if you're a little rusty at this." Natsu gave his toothy grin to the white haired mage.

"Thanks Natsu."

"No problem Lis."

"Well Lisanna has her excuse, what about yours?" Gray questioned. "You almost burned down half of the town hall." He scoffed.

They boarded the train.

"Well, at least I wasn't half naked the whole time!"

"Oh you're asking for it now aren't you?"

The train was now departing from the station.

"Yeah go ahead, I'll beat you to a pulp you little ice fr-" Natsu was now on the ground with one hand covering his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, and an arm around his stomach as he rolled back and forth.

"Tch, weakling." Gray turned to face to window as Lisanna was helping him off the floor.

Once he was in a half-seated, half-laying position, Erza punched him in the gut and he went out cold.

* * *

**_~In the Cave~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"_Who are you and what are you doing in my cave?_" The girl demanded.

"Eheh, w-well, the th-thing is. I was kind of w-walking through the forest a-and I w-was looking f-for a pl-place to stay a-and I f-found an empty c-cave. G-gomen, I-I didn't know it w-was y-yours. I didn't see any of y-your belongings and-"The girl cut me off.

She pushed an enormous boulder out from one corner of the cave with little effort, I gaped in surprise.

"Does it _look_ like this cave was empty?"

After the boulder was moved out of the way, I could now see a heap of what looked like to be the girls' belongings.

"Oh, um, s-sorry, I'll just g-gather my th-things and b-be on my way I guess." The girl looked scary, Erza scary, maybe even scarier if that was possible.

As I was gathered up my things and was about to leave, the girl grabbed my right wrist in what seemed like a bone crunching grip.

_"Who are you, and why exactly are you here in this forest?"_ she asked once again.

_'Uh, why do you need to know?'_ I thought, but I couldn't say that to her face. I decided to tell her the truth. Not like I had much of a choice.

"M-my name is L-Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia, a-and I've come here to train after I had left my guild because I felt that I was abandoned by them."

She gave me another one of her cold glares.

"Fine." She simply said after what seemed like ages.

"You will live with me in this cave, and I will help you with your training." She said, her facial expression softening just a bit at these words.

"My name is Astrid, no last name." she mumbled as she let go of my wrist and turned around, facing her belongings.

"Unpack your things; we're going to me here for a while by the looks of you."

I obediently unpacked my bags and massaged my now red and throbbing wrist.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Well this is just what I needed; I leave my cave for just 3 days to go to town, and then some weakling crawls in when I come back. I examined 'Lucy' closely. She had blonde hair that went just past her shoulders.

_ 'I hope she doesn't think like a blonde'_ I mentally scoffed. (A/N: No offense to real blondes, I'm just trying to say something that fits her personality)

She also had skinny arms and legs, scraped up elbows and knees _'probably from the forest'_, I thought. And a rather large chest. Overall, she seemed like a spoiled little girl that had no business in a dangerous forest like this one.

But, if she had come here all by herself just to train, she must have been pretty determined. I liked that kind of attitude, so I decided to take her under my wing. I guess I was also a bit lonely myself, especially since I was on the run.

Lucy started humming a tune that sounded like a lullaby. It was sort of soothing, but I told her to cut the racket or else she'll be sleeping outside tonight. I guess Once Upon a Time I was like her, weak and alone. Well now all of that has changed. Actually, only the _'weak'_ part has.

I've been in this forest for a little over a year now. I know about almost everything that lives inside of it, what's poisonous or not, plants, and what's edible. And over the years, I have also lived in a variety of deserts and tundras. It's been 7 years since the incident and I must say, I'm pretty impressed on what I've accomplished. From a goody two shoes to the bad girl that nobody interacts with, nice.

After I had finished spreading out my stuff in their usual place I put my hands on my hips and glanced over to where blondie was. After a moment she finally noticed I was looking at her. I narrowed my eyes to give off a scary look.

"W-why are you st-staring at me?" she asked in a quivering voice.

I gave out a little chuckle as I set up dinner. This is going to be fun.

* * *

**And that's the end of that chapter**

**It might take me a little longer to update next time because it's getting a little harder to come up with ideas.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Bye!~**


	5. Training Begins

**Thank you for the reviews, and sorry for the late update! But this is a longer chapter. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, not me.**

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

The sun had just risen as I began to wake up. Lucy was sleeping, so I decided to go for a quick run. I changed out of my pajamas, stretched a bit, and went on my way.

**_~Later On~_**

I had just come back from an hour long jog around the forest without breaking a sweat. And after all that time, blondie was _still asleep. _I went back outside to fetch a few pails of water for water sloshed from side to side as I did a few more laps around the cave. When I returned, a thought came across my mind. I snickered a bit as I walked over to blondie.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

_I was walking on a beach. I smiled at the scent of the salty ocean spray, waves crashing to the sand, and the warm heat of the sunset on my back. I knew it was a dream, but I was still enjoying this while I could. A few seagulls were flying lazily around. But other than that, I was all alone on this endless beach. Suddenly, the sky turned dark and stormy, and then it started to rain quite a bit. It felt like a hurricane. 'What on Earthland is going on?' I thought. I was about to scream, when a tidal wave came roaring over. I tried to run but there seemed to be quicksand around my feet, the massive wave came crashing all around me and-_

"KYAAA!~"I was drenched in icy cold water.

Then I turned over to the sound of uncontrolled laughter. To my surprise, I saw a girl on the ground holding her stomach, wiping her tears of laughter and an empty bucket of what used to hold water.

_'Who is she?'_ I wondered, but then I remembered. Dark wavy hair, and an icy cold glare, Astrid.

"_A-Astrid_?" I asked.

"That's what you *giggle* get for waking *giggle* up so late. *giggle*" She composed herself.

"I expect you to get up at around sunrise, you got that?" She glared.

"H-Hai!" (Hai = Yes/okay) I said in a scared tone.

I looked down at myself in my now soaked pajamas; I groaned a bit, these were my favorite pair.

"Now, hurry up and get changed, then go run about a mile or so while your clothes dry out in the sun here." Astrid demanded.

"_But Astrid~_" I whined. "I didn't even get to eat br-"She cut me off.

"If a group of hungry Vulcans are coming do you think you'll have time to even _think_ about breakfast?"

"Well I-" She cut me off, again.

"I didn't think so, now, _GO_."

"_H-HAI_!" I changed out of my clothes and ran out of the cave.

By the time I had come back after running for about half an hour, I was sweating and panting as I leaned back against the cave wall.

"Tch" Said Astrid as she looked at my pathetic self.

"Can't even take a little jog without getting worn out? This is going to be a little harder than I thought." She shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"Stand up straight!" She snapped and I obeyed.

"You've got work to do."

**_~A Few Moments Later~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

_"WHAT?!"_ I exclaimed.

"You want me to catch fish, with my bare hands, by _myself?_"

"Tch, did you think training was going to be easy? I expect at least five fish in ten minutes, you better get started."

I sulked over to the pond and kneeled over the water. After staring into the crystal clear water, I saw what looked like a carp, or a trout. _How should I know_? I don't go fishing that often. I lunged towards the fish trying my best to grab hold of it, but it ended up slipping out of my grasp and I fell on my butt. This process repeated several times and in the end, I was able to catch only _two_ fish in the ten minutes given. Astrid snickered and rolled her eyes when I brought the fish in.

"I guess it'll have to do, now make breakfast."

"_Eh?!"_ But how? And with what?" I stopped and looked at the fish and groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me." I began de-scaling the fish outside with a sharp rock I had found, and about an hour later, I had de-scaled the fish and was now setting up a fire. That alone took over ten minutes.

"Ugh, if only Natsu were here then I-"I stopped, can't think about him now of all times.

"Eh? Who's Natsu? Your _boyfriend~_?" Astrid, who was picking some berries grinned mischievously.

I felt a blush creep into my cheeks as I furiously shook my head.

"N-No way! I would never date such a cold hearted bastard! Especially after what he did to me!" Oops, that kind of slipped from my mouth. Now Astrid was giving me a questioning look.

"And what exactly did he do to you? Forget your birthday?" She didn't seem to be taking this seriously.

"N-No, well um…" As I finally got the fire started and began roasting the fish, I told Astrid about me joining Fairy Tail, how much I enjoyed being there with my 'nakama', and how I was betrayed by them, especially Natsu.

She just stared at me intently nodding every now and then when I paused, although I doubt she was actually paying attention. After I finished I was on the brink of bursting into tears, we stayed silent for a while. I was disappointed with myself now, whining about my problems to someone who is practically a stranger to me, now that I think about it, I don't know a thing about her.

"I see…" Astrid mumbled to my surprise.

I could tell that she was deep in thought.

"Now then." She said said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Let's eats and get started." She said, carrying a basket full of berries over.

We ate, cleaned up and went over to a small clearing where there were just sticks scattered everywhere and dirt.

"You'll start off with some combat practice."

"C-Combat? With who?" I wondered.

"Me of course." She grinned stepping closer towards me.

I remembered how strong she was as she effortlessly pushed away that boulder yesterday. She lunged at me and threw a punch, I managed to dodge it, but that was just to distract me. Meanwhile her leg swooped down and she kicked the back of my legs and my knees unbuckled. I groaned in pain as she helped me up. She showed me a few techniques, and I would have gotten her a few times, but she moved at an amazing speed, dodging my attacks and then hitting me in the back from behind, and in only in five minutes I was out of breath as I kneeled over.

"Wow, you're *pant* faster than you *pant* *pant* look." I said, looking up at her. Astrid on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Watch closely." She said.

"Now you see me." She disappeared. "Now you don't."

The voice came from high above, I looked up and my eyed widened. She was in the treetops standing on a branch.

_"Whaa?"_ I was speechless.

She laughed as she reappeared in front of me again.

"I use teleportation magic, here," She held out her hand, helping me up.

"I'll teach you."

I now stood in the middle of the clearing, Astrid in the trees telling me what to do.

"Close your eyes and clear your mind." I did that and waited for further instructions.

"Now, think of a place you want to teleport yourself to, try the cave." I pictured myself inside of the cave. A few minutes passed.

"Umm, now what?" I asked opening one eye.

She had a confused expression on her face.

"Well for me it's a quicker process, taking less than a second, but you should have been there by now…_OH YEAAH,_ I forgot…you see, it's a type of _lost magic_, so you kind of have to go through some _special_ training, It took me quite a while to learn it myself….I guess we'll continue with the combat practice and work on the teleportation tomorrow." She said, raising her fists in a fighting position.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Team Shadowgear had come back from their job a few hours ago, and Levy knew something was missing the moment she walked through the guild doors. She soon found out from master that Lucy had left the guild a few days ago. She was shocked, sad, and angry. This was the guild's and Team Natsu's fault. Lucy had come to Levy several times for the past month, telling her about how she was sad about being ignored. And you could imagine her anger when Master told her she was kicked off of Team Natsu. She stormed out of the guild soon after and went over to Fairy Hills, not feeling like talking to anybody.

Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla were still out on their job, and Gajeel and Lily were still gone for training. The guild was just a tad bit peaceful without Gray and Natsu fighting, but no one else seemed to notice that Lucy was missing.

"WE'RE BACK EVERYONE!" Natsu and his team walked through the doors.

"Oi, no need to shout." Gray said,

"What did you say_? Snowflake_?"

"What, you getting so old you can't hear me, _squinty eyes_?

"Your eyes are squinty too, _Popsicle!"_

Erza glared and they both shut up.

"So, how did the job go?" Mira asked as she prepared Erza's cake.

"Not good, Lisanna messed, up so I ended up doing most of the work since Natsu and Gray *glare* were fighting." Erza smiled as Mira placed the cake in front of her.

"It would have been better if Lucy came with us, where is she anyways?" Erza looked around the room for the stellar mage.

"Ah, I'm surprised you noticed." The Master walked out of his office.

"Lucy has decided to leave the guild." He announced, everybody went quiet at these words.

"_EH?!_ Luce couldn't have left, she loves Fairy Tail." Natsu stated.

"That may be true, but _you_," he pointed towards Team Natsu, "-and everybody else managed to get rid of her, by not even paying attention to her. I really am disappointed in all of you, my own children." He shook his head disapprovingly and walked back into his office and locked the door.

"Nah, she didn't leave, I'll go to her apartment to prove him wrong, let's go Happy."

"Aye!" Said the cat.

"Yeah me and Gray will come too." Erza and Gray got up from their seats and followed Natsu to Lucy's apartment.

When they got to her apartment, it was empty. A small layer of dust covered everything.

"Lucy!~" They called but in response there was silence.

"Oi, look!" Gray pointed to the three letters on Lucy's desk.

"Letters?" Erza picked up the one addressed to Team Natsu and read it out loud.

By the time she had finished, Gray had tears in his eyes as he slumped in a chair, Happy was no longer happy as he sulked in a corner, Erza's lips quivered, and Natsu had fallen to his knees with his head down. All of them were thinking the same thing, _'What have I done?'_

* * *

**_~In the Cave~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

After the combat practice we ate lunch, and to my surprise. Astrid had sandwiches in her bag. _'Then why_ _did I have to catch fish for breakfast?'_ I wondered. After that, she made me do sit-ups, push-ups, running, etc. We had just finished dinner, some fish that Astrid had caught, and came out to look at the night sky.

"So," I said, "I told you my story earlier, what about yours? Why are _you _all alone in this forest?" I asked confidently, until she shot me another glare, and I shank back.

"I guess it's only fair…" She sighed. And to my surprise she began to talk about her past.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"About 7 years ago, I lived with my family in a mansion, my real name is Astrid Moonlea, and my father owned the Moonlea Cooperation's. My mother and father loved me very much and I got everything I wanted." I paused to see Lucy's reactions at me being a rich kid and a spoiled brat, but she remained expressionless as she stared at the moon, so I continued.

"I enjoyed my life very much. I would get to wear fancy dresses, and meet cool and interesting people, but my favorite thing to do was go to my cousin's house (more like mansion) and play with her. I was an only child, so I got lonely very often, especially when my father was focused on work all the time. So it would be the highlight of my day when I would come to visit her, it has been such a long time I can't remember much about her, not even her name." I gave out a sad chuckle and looked down a bit.

"But one day in the year X777, her mom, my mother's sister, died from a rare disease. My mother became depressed and wouldn't eat very often, I didn't play around that much and just read books, and my father would always work. And soon my own mother died as well, and with that she joined her sister, Layla, and my father isolated himself with work." I said with a heavy heart. Lucy gasped a bit when I mentioned Layla, but I just went on.

"I guess my father wasn't thinking straight, because before he knew it, the Moonlea Cooperation's was in some serious debt. But my father wouldn't pay up. So they hired a dark guild to take me hostage in order to get the money. They were very clumsy at their work, because then they ended burning my house down, I managed to escape, but my father on the other hand wasn't so lucky. The people who did that are still after me for some reason, and I've been on the run ever since. That's why my teleportation magic comes in handy when they find me." After I finished, Lucy had a sympathetic looking face.

"I'm so sorry…" Lucy started to speak, but I stopped her.

"It's not like you didn't anything wrong so don't apologize. I've been doing fine on my own anyways so it's no big deal."

She was about to say something again, but I didn't wasn't any sympathy.

"C'mon we should sleep, it's getting late, and remember, you still have to wake up early tomorrow, no excuses."

"Fine." She mumbled.

After she got settled down she looked over to me.

"G'night Astrid." She smiled.

And I returned that smile.

"Goodnight Lucy and you can call me Ash."

* * *

**Phew! I ****_finally_**** finished!**

**So was this chapter worth the wait?**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Bye!~**


	6. Cousin

**Ohaiyo! (Ohaiyo = Hello) I'm going on vacation pretty soon for a few days so; the update may not be for a while. Hiro Mashima currently owns Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~2 Week Timeskip! ~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It has been about two weeks since I left Fairy Tail, and began training in the forest with Astrid. My stamina had greatly increased, and it took me a while, but after I was doused in below zero temperature water first thing in the morning several times, I now manage to wake up just before sunrise. I've been working on the teleportation magic, but whenever I try, I can only make myself see through like a ghost. I can now keep up with Astrid a bit more in combat, and I even run some laps around the forest for fun, I don't eat as much, because fish can get a little boring once in a while, I don't know how Happy does it. And Astrid won't let me go to the village that's a few miles away, so I've been living off of fish, berries, and water.

I still haven't really found the right time to tell Astrid that I am the cousin that she visited when she was little. I can't even believe it myself, I mean, our personality differences have a huge gap, her death glares, and my bright smiles. I also want us to learn a little more about each other and get kind of closer, she has gotten a bit nicer to me I guess. She must get tired after being uptight all the time anyways.

I wonder if Fairy Tail has found out that I was gone. Team Shadowgear should have already come back from their job, so Levy should be worried sick. I feel kind of bad for not telling her and the others. And if Team Natsu had actually noticed my absence and found the letters, I wonder how everyone reacted to them. Were they mad at me?

"-cy, Lucy! Luuuucyyy! ~" I heard a voice.

"Eh?"

"What's wrong, you've been spacing out."

"I was? Oh, it's nothing."

Astrid just shrugged, today we were climbing rocks and cliffs, we would race to the top, but Astrid would always beat me while I was 5 minutes behind.

"Um, well you should pay attention a bit more, don't want you falling off." She said as we tied a rope to our waists.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll just end up pushing me off like last time." I said, remembering the trick she pulled on me a few days ago.

"All, right, let's go! Race you to the top!"

"It's not much of a race when it's you against me y'know." I pouted.

"Tch, you'll never get any better with _that_ attitude of yours." She yelled, already climbing.

"_I_ have an attitude? Speak for yourself!" I laughed trying to catch up.

In less than 15 minutes we made it to the top, the first time I went rock climbing with her it took me over half an hour, and I didn't even make it all the way. We had a little picnic with some berries we found along the way, and there was a nearby stream to rinse them off. We chatted a bit and I told some short stories of my past life at Fairy Tail, tearing up at some parts.

"Those guys, I can't believe what they did! I won't forgive them either, I'll beat them up if I ever see 'em!" Astrid shouted, startling me and a few birds that were perched on a tree. I sweat dropped.

"Eheh…no, you don't have to do that, let's go back, its getting dark and I don't want to get attacked my mosquitos again." I said covering my head and swatting the little blood suckers.

"Geez, if you could just perfect the teleportation magic, then we could just pop back in the cave, but _nooo~_, all you can do is become transparent, now I have to become live bait as well." Astrid complained all the way back.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

It's been nearly two weeks since Lucy left the guild, and everyone was devastated. When Team Natsu came back from Lucy's apartment; they were holding two letters in their hands. Mira read the letter for Fairy Tail out loud, everyone felt pretty much ashamed. Yet they were all surprised at the fact that she still said some pretty positive things.

Natsu showed Lisanna her part of their letter in private, and she couldn't believe that after all of this, Lucy didn't blame her at all; she appreciated the fact that Lucy didn't hate her.

Wendy had come back from her mission with Carla about a week ago, and Levy told her about the situation with Lucy right away, she couldn't believe her ears; she hasn't talked to Team Natsu since. Gajeel and Lily came back just the other day, and he could tell from the atmosphere of the guild that there was obviously something wrong, he eventually found out from Cana that Lucy left.

"Bunny girl…" He had said with a sad look on his face.

Despite what she had told them about not looking for her in the letters, over half the guild went on an immediate search for the stellar mage. Natsu was way enthusiastic about this idea. And although Erza didn't say anything, she couldn't wait for the opportunity to see Lucy again and apologize. The Master knew about this, but he didn't try to stop them, because he too, was quite worried at the moment for Lucy. She could be quite naïve and a bit gullible sometimes.

Overall, the entire guild wanted her back, and they were going to bring her back no matter what.

**_~At the Cave~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I placed a wet cloth on one of the many mosquito bites I had, trying my best not to scratch them. Astrid was showering under the waterfall about a mile away. After we came back from rock climbing, we had washed all of our clothes. About a week ago, Astrid had said that my clothes weren't "suitable" for the wilderness, she got rid of my clothes, and got me new ones. I now had some army styled shorts, some loose mid sleeve shirts, sneakers, and a single hair tie, and a pair of blue sweats for sleeping. I mourned over the disappearance of my old clothes, but Astrid said that they were too tight, and would be difficult to move in when training, but I couldn't argue because she gave me a look that said _'Go ahead, object and it will be the end of you'_.

I was playing around with my pillow when Astrid walked in.

"Hey Ash." I said

"What up Lucy?" She dried her hair off with a towel.

_'All right you have to tell her that you're her cousin sooner or later, why not now?'_ I thought.

"Well um…I kind of have something to tell you…."

"If you have something to say then say it already." She sighed.

"Well uh, I'm kind of your cousin…" I looked over at her expressionless face as she took in the information.

"…" She stayed silent.

"Ash?" I asked.

"…" She just stared at me.

"Eheh, well I guess I'll be going to sleep now." I pulled up my blankets.

_"…Eeeeh?!"_ She suddenly yelled and it echoed throughout the cave.

"Yeah, well, you see, my mom, Layla, died in the year X777, and I was the daughter of a very big company, the Heartfilia Railroads, and I lived in a mansion, and it fits your story perfectly, although I don't remember you at all for some reason…" I rambled on.

Astrid just stared off into space. I wonder what was going through her head. If I was her I would be pretty shocked that my long lost cousin who was practically my best friend as a child just showed up in front of me this whole time.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy…Heartfilia, I thought. Wow, I'm pretty shocked that my long lost cousin who was practically my best friend as a child just showed up in front of me this whole time. Then I remembered something.

**_*Flashback*_**

_I was running in the halls of a rather large home. Suddenly, someone poke me in the back. I heard a giggle._

_"Hehe! I got you Ashtwid! You're it!" _

_A little girl with chocolate brown eyes and golden locks looked up and smiled at me, holding a plush doll. She giggled once more. I laughed and began to go after her, she tripped and fell down on the carpet, and then I slipped and fell on my butt. We both laughed, sprawled on the floor holding hands._

**_*Flashback End*_**

"Oh my god." I said so silently I could barely hear myself. Tears were now forming in my eyes.

"Astrid, you okay?" Lucy asked in a concerned voice.

I looked up at her and gave her a smile, I haven't smiled like this since, I can't even remember.

"_Lucy! ~_" I lunged over to her with my arms open wide.

* * *

**So, Lucy finally told Astrid that she was her cousin, good for her.**

**Like I said, I'm going on vacation, so I'll try my best to update at least on the weekend.**

**Thanks for reading and ****_PLEASE REVIEW!_**

**Bye! ~**


	7. A Day in Town

**I managed to get this chapter in! Although it would be awesome, I don't own Fairy Tail that belongs to Hiro Mashima (he doesn't like to share).**

* * *

**_~3 Month Timeskip! ~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been a few months since I broke the news to Astrid that I was actually her cousin. Saying she was overjoyed was an understatement. Now she smiled a whole lot more, and wouldn't leave me alone most of the time. And to my surprise, she started to train me harder.

"I know how you want to get stronger, and I'm never going to forgive those bastards after what they did to you, so I'll just have to make you strong enough to defeat your old team!" She had said.

She certainly seemed more enthusiastic about 'living' with me. It was like she was a whole new person; she even had a girly side believe it or not. But even though I'm her cousin, she still won't let me go to the nearby village.

"Why _nooot ~?"_ I would ask in a whiny voice.

"Because I said so." She would simply reply.

"And don't you dare even _think_ about sneaking off because I just got you back, and I will drag you all the way back before you could say _'Urano Metria'_" She would give me another one of her famous death glares.

I was having a lot of fun here with Astrid myself. We would tell stories about our lives, and play the occasional game of tag. But Astrid's version of tag is a bit more…painful than what you're used to, I shuddered at the memories. We've become so close that we're closer than cousins, we could even be sisters.

I have greatly improved in almost everything; I can effortlessly climb cliffs, swim across rivers, and run faster, 16 miles an hour fast. And one time I even beat Astrid in combat practice, she keeps denying it, saying it was by chance but whatever. And the best news so far, I finally perfected my teleportation magic! It took a lot of time and effort, and trusts me it was _a whole lot_ of effort. But I was able to transport myself from the waterfall to the cave in the blink of an eye. Astrid cheered and went to the village and bought a cake for celebration! It was a strawberry cake though, it reminded me of Erza and I wondered how they were doing.

There were two paths that they could have taken; one was to completely forget about me, not knowing I had left, and my existence gone forever. I frowned at that. _Or,_ they could have found out eventually, and being the stubborn people they are, came looking for me. Ah, either way, I still haven't been located, so that's good.

"Hey _Luce ~_" Astrid walked up to me.

I was currently punching a tree. It sounds weird, but it's a certain tree with soft bark and pulp, so it's just like my own personal punching bag.

"What up Ash?" I wiped the sweat off my forehead and turned around.

"Do you want to go to the village later on?" She questioned with a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Eh, not right now, I'll be done with this in about fifteen minutes then I have to-"I paused, realizing what she had just said.

"Wait, _what?!_ Are you serious?!" My jaw dropped.

"Uh, yeah. I wouldn't joke about something like this. Well, I guess I _would…_"

"But still, _for real_?" I questioned again, still not sure if she was just kidding with me.

"Ugh, _YES_ Lucy." She sighed.

"Then what are you waiting for, let's go!" I ran off into the forest.

"Lucy!" She called.

"The village is the other way!"

"Tch, I knew that, I was just testing your observation skills." I walked the other way now. She sweat-dropped.

I couldn't just teleport myself to the village because I haven't been there before, according to Astrid, you have to at least seen the place you want to go to.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. And we aren't buying anything, I just felt like taking a walk in some civilization, and it's also a reward for your hard work." She followed me.

"Geez Ash, you make it sound like I'm a dog." I grumbled stomping my feet in a pouting manner.

She just shoved me and said, "Sit, stay, roll over." And then she laughed.

I rolled my eyes and 'accidentally' pushed her into a tree.

"Why you…" She pulled leaves and sticks out of her hair. And then she lunged at me.

And we continued pushing each other into trees and bushes all the way to the village, I was so happy.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

A few weeks after the search for Lucy had started, people started to go back to the guild, in need of Jewels, they had to take some jobs. Team Natsu on the other hand, kept up their search, still feeling guilty for what they have done. They would run out of money from time to time, and would walk instead of taking the train (Natsu was very grateful for this). During their search, Natsu and Gray would almost never fight anymore, Erza ate less and less cake, Happy would just sleep on top of Erza's pile of luggage, and Lisanna stayed behind at the guild. She felt that she was no help to them at all anymore.

Late at night when everyone was asleep, Natsu would look up at the stars, but that would just remind him of Lucy, and how much she loved her celestial spirits, so he focused on the gap in the stars, just like the gap in his heart that used to be filled with warm smiles of the girl he missed so much.

_"Oh Luce, I'm so sorry."_ He would say every night as tears streamed down his cheeks.

* * *

**_~Village~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I watched in amazement as Lucy would run from shop to shop, dazzled by outfits at the tailor, pastries at the bakery, and the assortment of different Celestial Gate Keys that were on display at the magic shop. I mentally laughed, she was like a little kid, like the sister I never had.

We walked around for a little bit more, and despite what I had said earlier, we ended up buying some new clothes and a pair of earrings for Lucy. I got a black leather bracelet, and we had some ice cream before the sun set.

"Oh. My. God." Lucy said, and I looked over.

"I can't remember the last time I've had ice cream! This is like, real food! It's so good!" She devowered the whole thing in less than a minute, I sweat-dropped.

"Eto…we should get going now." I said, "Even this place has mosquitos" I swatted a few away and ended up hitting Lucy in the head.

"Oops, well it's your fault you were in the way." I shrugged.

"_My fault_?!" She kicked me in the shin.

"Okay, now you're just being childish." I crossed my arms and turned my head away.

"Says the one who got strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles on the top and a pink cone." She retorted.

"You got the same thing!" I shouted.

"Well- oh yeah…" She grumbled.

"Haha, see? I'm the superior one here." I held my head up high.

"Tch, whatever you say, race you back to the cave!" She took off running.

"You know we can just _teleport_ ourselves there!" I shouted after her.

"Um, well, that's what I was going to do I just wanted to get in the forest first, don't want people freaking out when we suddenly disappear right?" Hmm, she made a good comeback.

"Hurry up then, let's get going! I jogged towards her. And as I hid in the trees, I pictured myself in the dark cave. _'I haven't had this much fun in a while'_ I thought as I opened my eyes to see Lucy, already passed out in her bed from exhaustion. I smiled.

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I woke up and went out for a morning jog. It was awfully foggy today. About halfway through I heard a noise, like someone was watching me. Well, there were tons of weird animals in this forest, especially those snake things from before, I never did find out what they were, Astrid said she never heard or seen them before. Then I heard a noise, like someone, a human, was following me.

"Astrid? Astrid, if this is another one of your tricks then I-" someone grabbed me by the waist and put a gloved hand over my mouth.

"Mmph!" I tried to scream but it was no use, the persons grip was way to tight.

Suddenly, I had an idea, I closed my eyes and thought of the cave, I almost immediately popped in there and I swear I could hear the guys gasp of surprise when I disappeared, I smirked. But then I remembered the situation.

"Yo Astrid, wake up!" I shook her.

"Geez, Lucy, I'm getting up." She rolled over in her blankets.

I sighed and put my hands on my hips.

"Well I think you should hurry because I'm pretty sure that a guy just tried to kidnap me..."

"What?!" She sprung out of bed.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I flew out of bed at these words. They're here already? How did they find me? It must have been what I was at the village with Lucy. Urgh, I shouldn't have shown myself out in the open, Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now Lucy could be at risk too!

"Lucy, pack your bags were leaving, NOW." I commanded.

"But why are w-" I cut her off.

"It's those guys, the ones that were after me when they burnt my house down." I snapped.

Lucy made a silent "O" with the shape of her mouth and began to pack when we heard footsteps echo through ought the cave.

Oh god, I can't just teleport out to somewhere save and leave Lucy all alone, we haven't been to the same places except for the forest and the village. Then I remembered,

"Lucy, the city you lived in was called Mangolia, right?"

"Y-yeah." She replied.

"I think I've been there before when I first escapes the fire and ran away, do you know that bookstore near the fountain on the corner of Mulberry Street? I want you to go there, leave your stuff and teleport yourself." I demanded, she was still new to the teleportation, so she can't carry more than herself and her clothes.

"O-Okay." She was gone in a flash.

I grabbed the items closest to me, stuffed them in a bag and followed her.

**_~Normal POV~_**

Despite what Astrid told her, Lucy still had no idea what was going on. She walked through the rows of bookshelves, touching the books' spine as she went by, then she heard something fall on the ground.

She turned around to see Astrid breathing heavily (not exhaustion, but because of panicking) and a backpack of what seemed to be their belongings.

"Phew." Astrid gave out a half-hearted laugh.

"Sooo," Lucy said. "Mind telling me what's up?"

Astrid sighed.

"Well every once in a while, the people who burned my house down end up finding me again, then I have to move to another place to live, Last time it was at the foot of Mt. Hakobe."

"Oh, so now we have to find a new place?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah we do, they probably went through our cave and confiscated our belongings."

"Awh, I never finished that cake you got me, I worked pretty hard for that you kn-" She stopped, her face unreadable.

"Luce? You okay?" Astrid waved her hand in front of Lucy's face.

"My keys...Astrid! I forgot my keys!"

* * *

**Oh no! Lucy forgot her beloved keys?!**

**What will happen?**

**Thanks for reading and ****_PLEASE REVIEW!_**

**Bye! ~**


	8. Uncle

**Sorry for the delay! And I promise this chapter will be interesting. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Keys? What keys? I thought. Then I remembered. Lucy was a Celestial Spirit Stellar Mage, and the source of her power was her keys. And she forgot them in the cave. The same cave that now had those men inside confiscating our belongings.

"This is bad." I muttered.

"_You think_?" Lucy exclaimed.

Lucy was now pacing around the store clearly in panic mode.

"Alright, as much as I would hate to do this, we have to go back and get them, even if it means facing those men." I decided.

"But what if they overpower us?" She asked.

"Oh come on, we didn't spend all that time training for nothing did we?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She shrugged.

"Let's go and get them before they do first."

We then pictured the cave in our mind and got there in a flash. Only to face 5 men waiting for us holding guns.

"_Damn it_." I heard Lucy say.

"Ready?" I asked.

"You bet I am." She replied with a smirk.

We both teleported directly behind the guys and kicked two of them in the *ahem*. The fell to the ground, dropping their weapons and moaned in pain. The other two turned around, but then we teleported behind them again and karate chopped the space between their neck and shoulder, causing them to drop out cold.

"Tch, _wimps_." I said.

"Hey Ash, aren't these supposed to be professionals or something?" Lucy questioned.

"_I know right?_ Hurry lets grab your keys and get out of here."

We began to search.

"Astrid I swear, my keys were in this hole covered by the boulder!"

Yeah, that's right, Lucy got so strong that she could push that boulder too. Anyway, back to the point.

_"What?!"_ I re-examined the hole. "Are you _sure_ they were in here?"

"Yes! Positive! Oh Astrid I don't know what I would do if I lost them. They are one of the most important things to me and Aquarius is going to _kill_ me if I ever find them again." Lucy had her hands on her head and began to panic.

"_Geez Luce_, it's okay, we'll find them. I promise." I reassured her.

She threw up the blankets and looked under them, opened lids of the baskets that we kept some dried fish and berries in, and she moved every boulder in sight. I looked around the mouth of the cave in the grass and brush to see if she had dropped it. I still didn't see them after 5 minutes so I went back in.

"Got anything?" I asked.

"Nope" Her head was stuck in one of the cave's crevasses.

Suddenly, a dark shadow came over us.

Me and Lucy looked up to see another group of men, maybe double the amount before. They had all formed a circle, and in the center of that circle was a fat man with a monocle.

A scowl was now plastered on my face. What is he doing here? I took a deep breath and a smirk formed on my face.

"Hello…Uncle."

* * *

_**~Mangolia~**_

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I had just come back from a job with Gray, Happy, and Erza and we were about to choose another one but Erza had to go pay her rent, so I just took a little walk around, then I smelled the familiar scent of vanilla and strawberries. Could it really be? Luce? I followed the scent and found myself standing in front of a bookstore. Of course she would be in here, I mentally chuckled.

I walked into the bookstore and shouted her name.

_"LUCE?!"_

I got a few odd stares from some people but I ignored them and walked around. I swear I smelled her, she was close. Although it was faint, I caught another scent with hers too, a sharp cinnamon and mint. I walked around and accidentally burnt a few books out of anxiety. Then I saw it, a dark army green backpack leaning in the corner of the shop.

I unzipped it a locked at its contents. Water bottles dried up berries, clothing, sneakers, some jewels, and a red hair ribbon. The same one that Lucy always wore. Lucy…

"Lucy?!" I shouted.

"Luce where are you?!" I ran out of the shop and began calling for Luce around the city, but she was nowhere to be found, it was like she had vanished, I couldn't even catch her scent. I decided to take the bag to the guild and tell the others.

* * *

_**~In the Cave~**_

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

The man was tall and rather plump; he had short jet black hair with a silver streak in it, a black suit with a black tie, a monocle over his left eye, and a cold hard expression. He was grinning an evil grin.

"Hello…Uncle." Said Astrid.

I looked at the other guys. They had pretty much the same attire. Except all of them were pretty fat with those curly cue mustaches and those pistols that you see in the old movies, you could hear them giggling like girls and- _HOLD UP, Uncle?!_

_"UNCLE?!"_ I exclaimed.

Astrid turned to face me.

"Yeah, _Uncle_." She said in a rather disgusted tone.

"My my, Astrid Moonlea," She cringed at her full name. "It really has been a long time. A bit too long if you ask me." Said the man in the middle of the circle.

Then her 'uncle' looked over at me with great concentration.

"And what do we have here? Lucy…Heartfilia was it? Yes, I remember your father, a good man he was, your mother too, it's a shame really. She was a beauty indeed; she just wouldn't agree to come with me. So she left me no choice but to poison her drink." The man said.

"Y-You _what?!"_ I was shocked.

My mom died from a disease when I was 10, but I never thought that someone poisoned her.

"How _dare_ you do that? I never thought you would sink so low." Astrid spat.

I was still traumatized by this news. He killed my mother? He _killed_ my mother? That sentence rang out through my head.

"H-How _c-could_ you?" My voice shook.

"Oh please," He chuckled. "This is old news."

"You're a sick man, you know that?" Growled Astrid.

"So I've been told. Now Astrid dear, it's time for you to come home isn't it?" He tilted his head and smiled creepily.

"I don't think so; you burned down my home a long time ago. There is no way that I would go with you."

"Is that so? Not even if I gave Lucy her," Astrid's uncle took out a leather pouch from his pocket. "Keys?"

I gasped.

"My keys!" I narrowed my eyes.

"_Give them back_." I said in a stern voice.

"Tsk tsk tsk, there is a price to pay little dearie a price called _Astrid Moonlea_."

"Shut up! Why do you want her anyway?!" I shouted, losing my temper with this old fool.

"Looks like you don't know much since you left Miss Heartfilia. Well then, I am the head of the Sunburst Inc. My brother, Jonathon Moonlea wasn't the best at gambling. After a few drinks one night while playing poker, we made a silly bet on selling our company to whoever won. Now I, knowing his terrible skills in this game took advantage of him. He lost the bet, and his company but being the fool he was he made another bet. If I won then I would get his precious little girl." He looked over to Astrid's expressionless face.

"And if he won, he would get his company back. He obviously lost, again. But refused to give you up. So I just had to take you by force. And one thing led to another…" He stopped there.

"So you see, I _own_ you Astrid." He sneered, his bad breath spreading all over the place. "And I just came to get what's mine."

Astrid gave out a low chuckle.

"I'm _eighteen_ old man, a legal adult, you don't own _anyone_." She leaned in at the last part and at the speed of light, snatched the leather pouch out of his hand.

"Luce!" She shouted.

"Got it." I replied, knowing what to do next.

Then we both vanished, I swear, I heard that old man snarl in frustration as the other men fired their pistols were we once were. I laughed out loud.

* * *

**Ok, now that creepy uncle is taken care of.**

**Next chapter should be up either today or tomorrow.**

**_Please review_**** on this chapter!**

**Bye! ~**


	9. Operation: Retrieve Backpack

**Ohayo Minna! I posted this chapter earlier because I felt bad about the late update last time. God! My sister keeps bugging me about chores. ****_Psshhh_****, do I see ****_her_**** writing a story? Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima :3**

* * *

**_~ Bookstore~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

One moment, they were in a life and death situation in front of men with guns pointed at them, and the next, they were on the floor of a bookstore cracking up.

"Pfft, did you *laugh* hear that guy *laugh* growl when we left *giggle*?" Astrid laughed hysterically.

"No kidding! *giggle* I just came to get what's mine." Lucy did a ridiculous imitation of Astrid's uncle and then burst into another fit of laughter.

"I wish I could have seen the look on their faces!" Astrid wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"Oh my gosh that would be priceless!" Lucy took a few breaths to calm herself down.

They finally settled down a bit and got up.

"Okay, let's put my keys in the bag and get out of here before anyone notices me." Lucy dried her face from her tears of laughter with her sleeve.

"Here, catch." Astrid threw Lucy the leather pouch.

Lucy turned to where the bag was, only to find the corner empty.

"Uh, Ash? Wasn't the bag here?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah, should be." Astrid frowned. "Damn it, that bag had all my jewels in it."

"Let's go look around." Lucy began to search.

They began walking around the various shelves stocked with books.

"What was up with those guys behind you uncle? Old fashioned much?" Lucy started up a conversation.

"I know, I had to live with those guys following me when I was little once, it was torture, I couldn't even read books because they were always hovering over my shoulder and reading them too." Astrid complained.

Lucy gasped. "How painful that must have been! At least _you_ weren't being forced into _marriage_." Lucy counter complained.

And so they chatted about all of the faults there was on being wealthy. Always having to be proper, meeting weird people, and having a limit to the amount of sweets eaten.

"_Crap_, you've got to be kidding me." Lucy growled.

"What is it?" Wondered Astrid.

"Lucy held up a copy of what looked like to be Moby Dick, it was hard to tell because half of it was burned up, along with a few other books on the shelf.

"Who did this?" Astrid asked.

"Who do you think? Pink hair and a white scarf. The one and only Salamander. Also known as…"

"That jerk who made my little cousin cry, Natsu Dragneel." Astrid finished the sentence.

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~ _**

Natsu burst through the doors of the guild.

"Guys! I think I may have found a lead to where Luce is!"

That caught everyone's attention.

_"EHH?!"_ Everyone shouted.

Cana dropped her barrel, Erza stopped eating her cake mid-bite, Mira dropped the glass she was cleaning, and Levy looked up from her book.

"Lu-chan?" The bookworm closed her book and stood up.

"Natsu! Have you found Lu-chan?"

He shook his head.

"No, but I found this." Natsu held up the green backpack.

"It smells like Lucy, and had her ribbon in it. I found it in the bookstore."

"What the heck was someone as dumb as _you_ doing in a _bookstore_?" Gray questioned.

"Shut up _ice freak_!"

"Well it's true _droopy eyes!"_

"*Ahem* I hope there isn't any fighting going on." Erza warned.

"Nothing going on here!" The fire and ice mage said in union.

Meanwhile, the guild just stared at the three and sweat-dropped.

"Now, what is going on here?" A voice boomed. It was the master.

"Old man! Look what I found! I was just walking around town when I smelled Lucy's scent. I found this bag that had some of her stuff in it. But other than that she was nowhere to be found! It was like she just vanished…"

The master pondered in thought at this.

"Oi, Natsu let me smell that bag, just to make sure it belonged to bunny girl." Gajeel snatched the bag out of Natsu's hands. And then he took a whiff.

"Yep, vanilla and strawberries, it's got to be her."

"I can smell Lucy's scent from here too." Wendy piped up.

"Well then, if all you dragon slayers can smell her, then where the heck could she be? Nobody just disappears like that!" Gray exclaimed.

"Actually…" The master spoke up.

"There is a type of magic, a teleporting magic, its very complex but I'm sure Lucy would have to power to be able to learn it, it's also a type of lost magic…"

"Wait, what's this other smell with Lucy's?" Wendy picked up the bag that was now on the floor.

"Yeah, I smelled it too when I first caught her scent." Natsu said.

"Smells like cinnamon and mint, familiar to anyone?" Gajeel asked.

Natsu and Wendy shook their heads.

"Maybe she is travelling with someone…" Erza muttered.

Natsu suddenly felt a little angry, what if Lucy is with a guy right now? He would never let any male near his Lucy. Wait, what was he thinking?

"Well, Lucy couldn't have learned the teleportation magic by herself; it has to be taught to you by someone, just like Celestial Magic." Makarov pointed out.

"So she _does_ have a companion with her…hmph if it's a guy then her better not try anything or I'll beat him up." Erza mumbled.

_'I agree with you Erza.'_ Natsu thought.

"Now that we've come this close we can't just give up! Since Natsu took Lucy's bag, she might come back looking for it, everyone spread out around the city and start looking for Lucy!" Erza ordered.

_'That goes without saying, we'll get you back Lucy!'_ Everyone thought as they ran out of the guild doors.

* * *

**_~Bookstore~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Great, now someone took the backpack with all of our stuff and jewels in it. And of all people it just _had _to be Natsu. But just to be sure I asked the store keeper.

"Excuse me, but did you happen to see a pink haired maniac come in and take a green backpack?" I asked in a sweet voice at the old lady.

"As a matter of fact I did, you better tell your friend to be a lot quieter next time or else you and your friends will be banned from the shop!" The old lady spat, making me and even Astrid flinch.

_'Why would I be getting kicked out too?'_ I wondered.

"Stupid Natsu." I muttered. "Now what?" I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"Now, we go look for the bag without getting caught." Astrid said.

"Well that isn't going to be easy." I said.

"Why not?"

"Since Natsu caught my scent and took the bag, it must mean the guild _actually_ noticed I left," I kind of felt a little happy about that. "And now, being the stubborn people they are, they probably have already left the guild to go search for me since they most likely now know about the backpack, especially that idiot Natsu." I sighed.

"We should split up, I'll go to my old apartment to see if I have any left over money, they probably won't catch me there since my scent blends in with the apartment, and hopefully no one has bought the space yet. And you should go to the guild, that's where the backpack should be, just act as casual as you can 'Kay?"

"Yep, I got it." Astrid said in a rather irritated voice.

I laughed, I knew how much she hated to be ordered around, and hopefully she doesn't run into Erza.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Before we split up, Lucy grabbed my arm.

"One more thing, watch out for a stripper, a pink haired idiot, and a woman with scarlet hair."

"Yes, I know what your old team looks like; you've told me about them _hundreds_ of times. Especially about that jerk Natsu…" I growled.

"I know how much you want to beat him up, trust me I do too, but try not to _please_."

_"WHY NOT ~?!_" I whined. "He hurt you!"

Lucy sighed, "I promise you'll get your chance in the future. You'll just have to wait."

_"Fine."_ I mumbled and pouted. Since _when_ did I take orders from her?! She laughed again as if reading my mind.

"Seeya Ash."

"Bye Luce."

And with that she disappeared. Dang, she was good at that now. Like me, she doesn't even have to close her eyes if she doesn't want to. I then realized something; I have no idea where Fairy Tail is. I mentally face palmed myself.

"Do you know where Fairy Tail is?" I asked several people, they pointed to the center of town.

"Right over there miss, I'd be careful around the area if I were you." Said one man.

I lightly jogged towards that direction, about halfway there, the city literally started moving. _What the heck? _I thought. The main road was now sunk into the ground, and all of the buildings surrounding it were pushed out of the way. I squinted at the main road to see a man with orange-ish hair and wore a raggedy dark cape. _This place is weird_, I thought.

About ten minutes later the place tuned back to normal, but as I continued to walk on the brick road, I was very cautious about my footing. Didn't want to fall in some hidden pitfall. After a few minutes of walking I saw a head in the crowd, a head with spikey pink hair.

"Tch, well aren't I lucky." I said to myself in a sarcastic tone.

_"LUCY?! LUUCE?"_ That idiot Natsu repeatedly shouted.

I just kept my promise to Lucy, as much as I hated to do so, and walked past that bastard. That is, until he had the nerve to grab my arm and pull me off the street.

"_Who_ are you? _Why_ do you have Luce's scent? Where is Lucy? _What_ have you done to her?!"

* * *

**So Natsu has found Astrid? How will she react?**

**Working on the next chapter already!**

**Review and follow please!**

**Bye! ~**


	10. That Idiot Natsu

***Sigh* I managed to update today, and put you guys out of the misery of waiting. If any of you were confused about the man who walked down the main road when the city shifted, it was Gildarts if you hadn't noticed. I do not own Fairy Tail blah blah blah. Enjoy! ~**

* * *

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I walked through the streets of Mangolia shouting Luce's name, sniffing around for her scent, and scanning with my eyes. Then I caught that same cinnamon and mint smell from earlier along with the lingering scent of vanilla and strawberries. Then I found the source of the smell.

It was a teenage girl, about the same age as Lucy. She had Dark brown, almost black wavy hair that reached her waist. She wore slightly ripped black skinny jeans with a chain looped in with her belt, two piercings on each ear, and a mid-sleeve black leather jacket. She was really pretty actually. But that doesn't mean I would show any mercy.

I grabbed her forearm and pulled her to the side of the street. She looked at me with wide stormy grey eyes.

"_Who_ are you? _Why_ do you have Luce's scent? Where is Lucy? _What_ have you done to her?!" I threw questions at her.

She just rolled her eyes and sighed, making me angry

"Geez, _Pinky_, this feels like some kind of police interrogation." She said nonchalantly.

"Answer my question." My face hardened.

"Psshhh, you asked more than one_, pinky._"

"My hair isn't pink! It's salmon! And my name is Natsu." My grip hardened a bit.

"What's up with _you_? Trying to break my arm or something?" She laughed, showing no signs of pain at all.

"You think I'm playing? Where. Is. Lucy?"

"This _again_?" She sighed. "_Fine_, I'll tell you one thing, I have no _idea_ who this 'Lucy' person is." She smirked, causing me to growl in frustration. I grabbed both her arms now and gripped her tightly.

"Don't lie to me; I can smell her scent on you." I narrowed my eyes.

"Who knows? Maybe I met her while I was travelling or something." She flipped her hair and smirked, obviously hiding something.

"Then how would you explain the backpack?" I stared at her.

Her face remained expressionless, but I did catch the slight flicker of hesitation across her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She shrugged.

"I know you know where Lucy is, now tell me right now or so help me I will-" She cut me off.

"Let me guess, you'll burn me to a crisp?" She laughed.

"How did you-" She cut me off, _again_. And then she had the nerve to laugh.

"Do you have any _idea_ who I am? What I could do if you don't tell me where Luce is?"

"Oh yeah, you must the all mighty Natsu Dragneel, also known as the Salamander." She said my alias in a ridicules tone of voice.

"Sorry _Pinky," _She smirked_. "_But I don't have time for this." She sighed. Then an evil grin appeared on her face.

"Huh?" I was a bit surprised. Then I realized what she said.

"MY NAME ISN'T PIN-"

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Geez, what is this guy's problem?

"Sorry _Pinky,_" I smirked. "But I don't have time for this."

_'I know I promised but I just can't help myself, sorry Luce'_ I thought.

"Huh?" He asked dumbly.

"MY NAME ISN'T PIN-" I rolled my eyes and kicked him in the *ahem* then when he dropped his guard, I sucker punched him out cold.

_"Tch_ serves him right."

I continued to walk towards Fairy Tail with a smile on my face like nothing ever happened.

Five to ten minutes later I could see a large building at the very end of the road in the distance. It had a Flag with the fairy Tail sign on it hanging on the front. I knew what the symbol looked like because when Lucy got bored she would draw random stuff in the dirt with a stick.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_"Hey Luce, what's that?" I sat on the ground beside her._

_The fish was cooking over the fire and Lucy had to keep watch in case it burnt. I just came back from picking the berries when I noticed a bird like symbol in the dirt._

_"Oh, this is the fairy tail symbol." _

_"And what's that?" I pointed to another figure._

_"That is idiot Natsu frozen in a block of ice." She smiled proudly._

_I looked at her in horror._

_"Geez Luce, something is wrong with your head." I paused. "Although I am a little proud of you though, nice drawing by the way."_

_"Thanks." She smiled, and then it turned into a frown. _

_"HEY, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY HEAD!" _

_I laughed._

_"It's your fault, making me cook the fish all the time, why can't I pick the berries?" She exclaimed._

_"How is this MY fault?!" I counter exclaimed._

_"Ok then, fine. Next time I get to pick the berries." She crossed her arms._

_"LUCY! This has nothing to do with the berries!" I sweat dropped._

_*Flashback End*_

* * *

I smiled at the memory and lightly jogged to the guild. When I got to the guild I looked up from where I stood at the large doors, dang this place is big.

I slowly opened the left door trying not to draw any attention, unfortunately that did the opposite. The door creaked and groaned loudly causing me to wince. I looked around expecting to see the entire guild staring at me, but to my surprise there were only a few heads turned my way, and those were the only people in the room. It shocked me.

Lucy had always told me stories about how rowdy and overcrowded the guild was.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_We sat by the campfire, I got some marshmallows from the village as a special treat. As much as I hated to admit it. Lucy managed to beat me in combat practice. Of course I never told her that was the reason I got them though._

_"So, ready for some campfire stories?" Luce asked._

_"Sure you first."_

_Lucy rolled up her sleeve to show a small white scar on her arm near her elbow. She sighed._

_"There was this one time; it was the day after Lisanna came back from Edolas. I woke up late a rushed to the guild. When I walked in, it was a disaster. Somehow the party they threw for Lisanna turned into one huge fight, practically everyone was drunk, even Wendy! I didn't even make it halfway to the bar where Mira was dodging the occasional flying object. I slipped in a puddle of beer and before I could get up a BARREL hit me in the head, knocking me out." She rubbed her head from the memory._

_I laughed._

_"Shut up." She flicked a pebble at me._

_"Anyway," She sighed. "I woke up in the guild's infirmary with a concussion and a broken arm. Apparently, that idiot Natsu had tripped and fallen, using ME to break his fall."_

_"Wow, he really is an idiot."_

_"You don't say." Luce murmured._

_*Flashback End*_

* * *

There were five people in the room. One of them was behind the bar counter; she had long beautiful silver hair, calm blue eyes, and a pretty red and pink dress. I assumed she was Mirajane from what Lucy told me.

There was also a short old man with white hair, a weird bushy mustache, and a pale gold cape that had white fur on it and the Fairy Tail symbol on the back. I already knew he was the master, Lucy said he's the shortest one out of everyone so that was kind of obvious.

Another man was lounging at the foot of the stairs that led to the second floor. He had spiky blonde hair, a lightning shaped scar over his right eye, 'pointy' headphones, maroon jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black cloak with grey fur. I haven't heard anything about him. Although judging by his lightning scar, he might be the one that beat up that idiot Natsu…Luxus…or was it Laxus?

The man who was talking to Laxus **(A/N I don't even know if it's Luxus or Laxus, although I'm pretty sure it's Laxus)** was the same man from earlier. He had orange/red/brown hair **(A/N I can't tell)**, and that same raggedy old cape. He seriously needed to get a new one.

And last but not least was a girl, a little younger than I. She had the same silver hair as Mirajane, but it hovered just above her shoulders, she also had those same calm blue eyes. Hey would you look at that, it's Lisanna.

Lucy was obviously upset about this whole 'Getting kicked off of team Natsu' thing, but she didn't blame Lisanna. I, on the other hand can't stand her. But since she didn't actually hurt Luce, or didn't mean to, (that's what Luce thinks) I'll let her pass just this once.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. I then spotted the backpack on one of the bar stools. Ugh, I was hoping there would be so many people here that I could go unnoticed, but nooo~.

"Oh, um, hi…" They all gave me questioning glances.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Asked the master.

Should I give him my real name? Heh, why not?

"The name is Astrid." I waved.

"Astrid…?" Said the master.

"Oh, um, Astrid Smith?" I quickly came up with a fake last name, wouldn't want anyone finding out who I am.

"So, Astrid what brings you to Fairy Tail?"

"I umm, I want to join? You're the master, correct?" I questioned.

"Yes, indeed I am, and what reasons do you have for joining Fairy Tail?" He asked.

"I, uh, I wanted to escape from my old life," Well, that wasn't exactly a lie. "And I wanted to find a new home and family."

I remembered what Lucy told me on how much Fairy Tail cherished family and nakama. I scoffed when she had said that, doesn't seem like that to me considering what they did to her.

"I see, well, since there isn't a reason not to, I allow you to become a member of the guild. Mira, the stamp please."

Mirajane rushed over me with a guild stamp marker in her hand.

"Where would you like your stamp and what color?" She asked in a sweet voice.

"Oh, um, I'm not _positive_ about my decision yet, so I would like to hold off on that after I get to know everyone _y'know_? But from the looks of it your guild doesn't seem to have a whole lot of members…" I gestured around the room, walking closer to the backpack as I spoke.

"Oh, well there's a good explanation for that. One of the guild members went um…missing, and now we've found out that she has come back!" Mira said excitedly.

'Hold up, isn't Lucy a _former_ guild member?' I thought. I actually almost said that out loud, but I stopped myself just in time. Didn't want to blow my cover just yet.

"So, uh, I already know you're Mira," I pointed towards her. "And you are the master." I gestured to the old man.

"Hi!" Lisanna piped up. "I'm Lisanna, Mira's Little sister."

I nodded. "I can see the resemblance."

"That's Laxus over there," Mira leaned in. "I'd stay away from him if I were you, he can have some…electrical outbursts sometimes. He's the Master's grandson."

I gasped in surprise looking at the master and the Laxus. "There is no resemblance at all!" I whispered.

"Oi! What are you saying about me to the new girl Mira?!" Lightning crackled around his hands.

"Nothing Laxus!" Mira jumped back from me, smiled, and scratched her head.

"And I'm Gildarts!" Boomed the man with the ratted cape. "The strongest member in the guild! Other the master of course." He said.

"Nice to meet you guys." I smiled.

"Hey Astrid-chan?" Surprised at the new name, I looked up at Mira.

"What?" I asked

"Do you like anyone?" I sweat-dropped, Lucy had told me about this, the match making devil. Luckily I didn't like anyone so I was safe, for now…

"No Mira," I smirked. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Mira mumbled, she could tell that I really didn't like anyone and she looked down in disappointment.

Then her head snapped up and she grinned.

"Let's tell Warren about Astrid!" Shouted the beautiful bartender.

"Good idea Mira." Said the master.

"Who's Warren?" I asked.

"Oh, he's another one of the guild's members, he can communicate with people through their minds but only if they have the Fairy Tail mark." Said Mira.

"Sooo, he can read minds?" I asked.

"Nothing of the sort! Just communication, right now he just told everyone about you, they're all temporarily calling off the search for Lucy just to come see you! Isn't that nice?" She smiled.

"Y-yeah." I said, but in my head I was thinking _'Oh shit'_.

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I woke up on the side of the street. _'What the? Why am I here? Oh yeah…' _I remembered. That girl, oh she is so dead. I didn't even know her name. I took a deep breath and got up, I began jogging around, and once I reached Strawberry Street I noticed Lucy's scent. Yes, it could have just been her apartment, but it seemed stronger now. Then I saw her.

A beautiful blonde stepped out of the door of the building, her hair had gotten longer, and she had a blue bow tied in the right side of her hair. She wore dark blue denim shorts and a light green tank top. She tucked a loose lock of golden hair behind her ear. There was a light breeze, bringing her scent closer to me, I deeply inhaled and smiled, I missed her so much.

I started to run.

"LUCE!" I shouted.

She whipped her head around and stared at me in shock. Then she just…disappeared.

"Luce?!" I was breathless from sprinting so fast, wow, this was a long street. H-how could this be? I was about to tell everyone I had seen her through Warren's weird communication thingy, when he suddenly said.

_'Minna! The search for Lucy has been called off temporarily by the master. '_

I could hear everyone mentally shout '_WHAAAAT?!'_

_'We have a new member at the guild her name is Astrid Smith!'_ Warren Communicated

New member? Could it be…that girl?

_'Oi Warren! What does she look like?'_ I asked.

_'Master says she has dark brown wavy hair, grey eyes and-'_ I mentally cut him off.

_'Thanks man!'_ I ran toward the guild full speed, oh Astrid is in big trouble.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

In little groups more and more people came in. The place was now packed. Two people then stumbled forward, well the little girl with the long blue hair did. '_This must be Wendy' _I thought. And there was also a rather muscular man with many piercings; he had long spiky black hair. _'And this is Gajeel'_

"Oi, why do you have bunny girl's smell?" The metal head asked.

"Who the heck is bunny girl?" Seriously is this guy messed up in the head? Or does he have a pet rabbit that happened to be female?

"_Gomen_," Wendy apologized. "He means Lucy, why _do_ you have Lucy's smell?" Asked the bluenette.

"Heh, well, you see-" I was cut off by many shouts. All of them being.

"LUCY!"

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I sighed and walked out of the apartment. There wasn't anything useful I could find in there. Looks like someone had been paying my rent though. A loose strand of hair was getting in my face; I tucked it behind my ear. Then there was a light breeze that blew more hair in my face, I sighed in frustration. Then I heard a voice.

"LUCE!"

I spun around then my eyes widened in surprise when I saw who it was, geez, that idiot Natsu just can't stay away can he? I panicked, I thought of where Astrid was and then teleported to the guild.

"Luce?!" I heard him a split second after I had left.

But when I opened my eyes I realized that it was a big mistake coming here. Practically the _entire_ guild was present and they were all crowding around…Astrid? That's when people started to notice me.

_"LUCY!"_ They all exclaimed.

_'This is bad…'_ I could tell me and Ash were thinking the same thing.

* * *

**Oh, my gosh…you know, I think I'm done with the story…**

**Hmm yeah I'll end it!**

**_JUST KIDDING!_**

**Wouldn't want any angry mobs ****_heh heh…_**

**I'll try posting the next chapter ASAP promise!**

**_Please review_**** on this chapter!**

**Bye! ~**


	11. Reunion

**Ok, you're lucky I felt like continuing this story. Chapter twelve here it is! Hiro Mashima Owns Fairy Tail, but I own Astrid, geez I sound like her freaky uncle. Enjoy! ~**

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"LUUUCY!" They all shout again.

_'I hope this all ends before I go deaf'_ I thought, rubbing my ears. Then they all lunged at me. I shrieked and then teleported to Astrid's side. They all hit the floor and piled up on each other. Me and Astrid laughed in amusement then the doors burst open.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Yelled a rather angry voice.

I couldn't see anything because of the huge dog pile blocking my vision, but Astrid on the other hand paled a bit then she smirked.

"Hey um Luce?" She turned to me.

"Yeah?" I wondered what this could be about.

"You remember that promise I made about Natsu when you left?"

Promise? Oh yeah, the one where I asked her not to fight him no matter what. No, she couldn't have.

"Don't tell me you…"

Ash scratched the back of her neck. "Hehe whoops, sorry about that…"

I sighed, "So then I'm guessing _that_," I pointed towards the doors. "Is Natsu and he is looking for you?"

She nodded. At this time most of the guild members had gotten up and was staring in shock at the fact that I just disappeared and then appeared next to Astrid.

"Oh Ash, what am I going to do with you?" I shook my head in disappointment.

"If you forgive me I'll let you pick the berries next time~" She said in a sing song voice.

I actually considered this, but then I remembered the situation we were in.

"_Ash!_ As much as I would _love_ to pick the berries, now is not the time to be talking about this stuff."

And as if on que, I heard a-

"_LUCE_?!"

_Oh, come on._

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I burst through the guild's doors only to see a pile of the guilds members on the floor some of them had gotten up and were staring with their mouths gaped open at something. I looked over and saw that girl, Astrid was it? I was about to do an _Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon_ at her but then I saw the person she was talking to, bright golden locks and warm chocolate brown eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

"_LUCE_?!"

Luce stopped her conversation with Astrid and slowly turned around to look at me. Now all of the guild members were focused on me, Luce, and Astrid.

"Luce, why are you here?" I asked cautiously.

"Tch, you make it sound like I'm not wanted or something." Luce said in a hurt voice.

"N-no Lu-Luce, what I meant to say w-was…" Luce cut me off with a laugh.

I missed her laugh.

"I was just kidding; don't have to take everything so seriously, oh wait you don't." She smirked.

Wow, since when did Luce get so mean?

"Wow, since when did you get so mean Luce?" I asked, saying my thoughts aloud.

Luce looked over at Astrid, they had the same grin. That explains it, wait, how did Luce know Astrid?

"Luce, how do you know Astrid?" I said my thoughts again.

"You don't have to know everything about me _Natsu._" She spat out my name.

At this point I was sure that Lucy had been possessed or something. I turned to Astrid.

"What have you done to my Lucy?!" I demanded.

"Hold up." Said the brunette.

"Since when did I belong to you?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah, you're starting to sound like my uncle." Astrid gave me a weird look.

"Huh? Uncle?" _'Since when did I become an uncle?'_

_"_Just, never mind." Astrid rubbed her temple.

"Luce, can we just go already? Talking to this idiot is going to give me a migraine."

"Ok then let's go, backpack?"

"HEY, WHO YOU CALLING AN IDIOT?!" I caught on.

They both looked at me, said "Tch." And then turned around. Astrid reached for the backpack, but luckily Laxus grabbed it and held it up high out of her reach, she raised an eye brow.

"Are you serious?" She questioned.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Come on Laxus, please, just hand over the bag and we'll leave." Lucy pleaded.

"But Lu-chan! We don't want you to leave again!" Levy piped up.

I sighed. I have a soft spot for Levy and everyone knows it.

"Gomen Levy-chan, but I have to do this, I have to get stronger remember? I have-" I was cut off by Gray.

"Lucy, you're not weak." He said.

"Tch, not what you said before." I muttered.

"We're sorry about that Lucy, we really are." Erza said, stepping forward.

I stepped back.

"Heh, well at least I'm not complaining about my rent anymore huh Titania?" I remembered what she had told me on that dreadful day.

"L-Lucy I didn't mean th-that…" Her once strong posture faltered.

"Now_, Laxus_ was it? The backpack_, now_." Astrid cocked her head and held out her hand.

"I don't think so." Laxus smirked and held it up higher.

_"Luce_." Astrid glanced at me.

"Got it." I understood what she wanted me to do.

I quickly took out my whip and whipped it at Laxus's hand, but before it made contact he threw it in the air.

"Gildarts, catch!"

_Gildarts?! _If he catches it then the backpack will-

_"NO!"_ I shouted, but it was too late.

The backpack had made its way into the hands of Gildarts and just a few moments later it dissolved into nothing.

"What the hell!" Astrid wasn't in a good mood.

_"Oops…"_ Murmured Gildarts. "Sorry about that."

_"Sorry_ doesn't cut it." Astrid snapped. "C'mon Luce we have no business here, let's take a chance and go back to that village."

"Huh? What village?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

Astrid leaned in and whispered. "The village of Konoha, you know, the one hidden by the forest and leaves." **(A/N For all you Naruto fans…This has ****_nothing_**** to do with Naruto, I couldn't think up of a good name and I thought it'd be fun to put that in :3)**

"Oh yeah, now I remember…" I whispered back.

"Tch, short term memory eh?" She snickered.

"_Excuse_ me" I hissed.

"Sayonara Fairy Tail, nice meeting you all, except for you three." Astrid pointed at Natsu, Erza, and Gray. "Seeya!" Astrid did a salute and with a wink we both were gone.

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

"C'mon Luce we have no business here, let's take a chance and go back to that village." Astrid said.

"Huh? What village?" Luce looked confused.

Astrid leaned in and whispered something in Luce's ear. Astrid spoke so that no one could listen, but with my Dragon Slayer hearing I managed to hear her.

"The village of Konoha, you know, the one hidden by the forest and leaves."

"Oh yeah, now I remember…" Luce whispered back.

"Tch, short term memory eh?" Astrid snickered.

I growled, no one makes fun of my Luce, except me of course. Luce said something else and then that Astrid girl ended the conversation. She turned to the rest of us.

"Sayonara Fairy Tail, nice meeting you all, except for you three." She pointed at me, Erza, and Gray. "Seeya!" She saluted and then they were gone, again.

Most of the guild was too shocked to say anything the whole time. They were still standing in the same spot, staring at the area where Luce and Astrid once were, not believing their eyes.

"What just happened?" Juvia blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"You saw that too? I thought I was drunk." Cana did the same.

"Either way you probably were…" Mumbled Freed.

Then the master came out of his office.

"I take it that Lucy and Astrid have left?" I was shocked.

"Y-You knew? Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you do anything?" I asked.

"There was no need to do anything, Lucy made her choice and I don't have the right to go against it." Master sighed and went back into his office.

I had no idea what he meant; he can be so weird sometimes. I shook it off and turned to my team.

"Hey guys," They looked at me. "I think I know where Luce is."

* * *

**Aaand cut~ Wait, this isn't a movie…**

**Sorry about the short chapter, but I'm really busy (hungry) right now…**

**Review please!**

**Bye! ~**


	12. Konoha and Ice Cream

**Managed to update today! Hiro Mashima Owns Fairy Tail, and I own Astrid Moonlea, no, I am not some creepy uncle, trust me. Enjoy! ~**

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"What do you mean you _think_ you know where she is?" Erza questioned.

"I heard her, Astrid. She told Luce that they were going back to some village. Kanha? Kalahari? Konhana? I can't really remember, but it was something about the village being hidden in the leaves and forest or something." Natsu said.

"You _baka,_ you can't even remember something important as this." Grey hit Natsu on the head.

"_Oi,_ got a problem, _squinty eyes_?"

"Yeah _flame brain_, you."

"Is it me, or are Natsu and Gray fighting?" Erza raised an eyebrow.

Natsu and Gray both stopped bickering and looked at the fearsome Titania.

"F-Fighting? Wh-Why wouth you think that?!" Both boys smiled and high fived each other.

"Hmph." Said the red haired mage.

"Um, did you say something about a village hidden in the leaves?" Asked a small blunette.

"Yeah Levy," Natsu looked at her. "Know anything about it?"

"Actually yes, it is supposedly said to be in western Fiore. The village named Konoha, hidden by the forest and leaves. But it's hard to find by most people. Only those who are lost manage to get there."

"Uh-huh, yeah, and how far away is this Konoha exactly?" The fire mage asked.

"If you take a train, about 3 days' time." The little bookworm calculated.

Natsu moaned, more trains?

"Alright then, let's go find our Nakama!" Erza declared.

* * *

**_~Village of Konoha~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

After we had come back to the village of Konoha, we hid behind some trees and bushes just in case Astrid's uncle and his men were still lurking around. We collapsed on the grass and were panting hard. Teleporting great distances over and over again takes a lot of magical power you know.

"Phew, I thought that would never end." I got up and brushed the dirt off my shorts.

"Hah, yeah. So that was the legendary Fairy Tail? I thought it'd be more impressing." Astrid shook her head in disappointment. "Practically the whole guild was frozen, looking like fools!"

"Yeah…usually they are a bit more, sharp." I scratched the back of my neck.

"Who knows, maybe they have gotten dumber because you left." Ash suggested.

"Haha yeah, maybe."

We looked around and sneakily dashed from tree to tree.

"Looks like the coast is clear, now, let's go and get some ice cream to uuuhh replenish our magic." Astrid came up with an excuse to have a treat.

"Yeah sure, but one problem, we have no money." I said.

"Shit, I am totally going to kill that Natsu, this is his entire fault!" Astrid grumbled.

"How is this his fault? Wasn't Gildarts the one who destroyed our stuff? Thank god my keys weren't in there." I sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, we'll just have to survive off of fish and berries again." Astrid shrugged her shoulders.

"_Nooo~_ I want to stay in civilization!" I whined. "Plus, we can't go back to that forest ever again, they might still check up on the place." I pointed out.

_"Ugh_, you're right_, again._" Astrid sighed in frustration. "Well, guess we'll just have to find another forest."

"_Or_, we could find a job to do and earn the jewels we need." I brought up a better solution.

I am never, _NEVER_ going to live in a forest, _EVER _again.

"Yeah, but that would draw attention, and then those guys might find us again." Astrid shot down that option. I pouted.

"But _please Ash_! Just one, just one really high paying job, because I'm sure we can do it, and then we can have all the ice cream we _want~_" I said in a convincing tone.

"_Fine_." Astrid sighed in defeat. "There is a city called Clementine northeast from here. It takes 3 days to get there by train, but since we don't have any jewels, it'll take about a_week_ on foot. It's a pretty big city, so even if my uncle's men manage to know I was there, it would be difficult for them to pinpoint my exact location."

_"Yay!~"_ I had a mini celebration. All I cared about was real food, not the same old fish and berries.

"But I'm not going to eat that much ice cream, as much as I love it, I don't want to end up fat like you." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and started walking, I quickly followed.

"Ok, yeah, sure, whatever, as long as were headed towards civiliza-" Hold up, _fat?_ "Who you calling fat fat?! _Fattie_!" I retorted.

"Dude, you are so much fattier than I am." Astrid looked at me.

"Am _not_!" I defended myself.

"Are _too_!" Astrid said.

_"No!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"No!"_

_"Yes_ Lucy, accept that fact."

"Shut up, I'm going to _kill_ you." I glared at her.

"Good luck with that." Astrid laughed.

"I'm still not fat." I mumbled.

And with that, we left the village of Konoha, never to return.

* * *

**_~Train~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Urgmphl." Natsu was making weird noises due to his motion sickness.

They had gotten on the train a little over an hour ago, and no one had paid any attention to the miserable fire mage.

"Hey, Erza." Said Gray.

"What is it?"

"What if Lucy and Astrid had left that village already?" He asked.

"Hmm, we'll just have to hope that they didn't then." She said.

"Yeah…" Gray stared out the window.

"Ugggh help me…" Natsu moaned.

* * *

**_~3 Days Later~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been about 3 days now travelling in this never ending forest, we ran into a few bandits every now and then, but it was nothing we couldn't handle.

I do recall myself saying that I would never live in a forest again, right? Well then why the heck am I staying in yet _another_ cave, in the middle of _another_ forest?! And to make it even worse, I must be delicious or something because the mosquitos just won't stay away!

"I *swat* hate *swat * these *swat* stupid *swat* _BUGS_!" I whined.

"It's your own fault y'know; you wanted to pick the berries."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect them to be right by the pond *swat*, WHERE ALL THE FREAKING MOSQUITOS LIVE!" I swatted some more.

Astrid on the other hand, was sitting by the cozy fire, the fire that burns any bug that dares to come near, while I was cold, in the shade, next to a stinky pond. It was dusk, and we were getting ready for dinner.

"_HA_, too bad." Astrid turned the fish over.

"Ugh, how come they *swat* didn't come after you last time?" I asked.

"Easy, they weren't in season, you, my friend, have bad timing." Astrid took a bite of the now crispy fish.

"Mmph, this is _SO _good, well not as good as normal food, but better than that other nasty fish you caught." She took another bite.

_"HEY_, let me have some!" It _did_ smell pretty good.

"Not unless you have picked the necessary amount of berries." She said through a full mouth of fish.

"Uhhh, is ten good enough?" I held up the berries.

"Psshhh, we need more than that, maybe like, a _hundred_ or so…" She waved her fish-on-a-stick in the air.

"…_Excuse_ me?" Did I hear her correctly?

"You heard me, 100 and you're good to go." She continued to munch.

"I should just poison the berries and then watch her suffer and…" I muttered under my breath, walking back to the cold and shady spot.

"Hmm? What was that?" Astrid cocked her head, looking innocent, but her eyes said _'Just say it, say that one more time and you'll be lucky to see the next sunrise.'_

I shivered. "N-Nothing."

"That's what I thought." She turned back to her fish.

About ten minutes and twenty mosquito bites later, I had gotten the 100 berries I needed.

"There." I plopped down the berries that were covered in banana leaves.

"Oh goody more food! Too bad I already ate all the fish." She sighed.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Yep, now, berries please~" She reached out to the berries, but I snatched them away before she could get them.

And she calls me fat.

"Aw hell no, you ate the fish, so I'll eat the berries." I started popping them in my mouth, and I climbed up a tree so she couldn't reach me.

"Oh you are so going to get it." She attempted to get up and then climb up the tree but after all that fish, she was just too bloated.

"Ugh, my stomach." She clutched her stomach and then fell back down.

I laughed and then chucked berries as her head. She didn't move.

"Ash?" Silence.

Hmm, did she faint? I climbed back down to check and see if she was alright.

"Ash~ you okay?" I leaned in, she looked okay.

Suddenly I felt a pain in my gut, then some explosive laughter from the girl who supposedly "fainted". She had kneed me in the gut, I can't believe this, I actually had the nerve to go check up on her and this is what happens?

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" She clutched her stomach and rolled around.

I clutched my stomach and rolled around too, but for a different reason.

"I'm going to kill you." I groaned in pain.

Astrid got up and walked towards the cave, taking the berries with her.

"Good luck with that!" She called out.

"Nooo~ my food!" I reached out and then my stomach growled. Ugh, I didn't get to eat anything yet

"Seeya!" Astrid entered the cave and then pushed a boulder in the mouth of the cave to prevent mosquitos from coming in.

I guess I fell asleep there because when I opened my eyes, nightfall had come I crawled towards the berry bush half awake and munched on some of the berries. Once my energy had been replenished, I pushed the boulder that blocked the cave out of the way.

I covered the mouth of the cave once again and turned around. It was pitch black except for the moonlight that streamed from the cave's cracks. It looked like silver, pretty. Then, I noticed Astrid, sleeping horizontally so that she was on both of the beds made of leaves that we hastily made.

I tried to push her off, but she was just too fat. I couldn't budge her at all. I eventually gave up, sighed, and then curled up in the corner of the cave.

"G'night Ash." I whispered.

And as I drifted off into slumber I swore I heard a

"Night Luce."

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

_'We are so lost…' _It's what they were all thinking, but no one said it. Team Natsu (excluding Lisanna, she wanted to stay behind) had gotten off of the earlier. Then they went off into a forest. Since the village was hidden by a forest, they assumed that it had to be somewhere in there.

"I'm tired, there's no fire here for me to eat." Natsu complained.

"So what, the temperature is hot enough, once I make an ice creation, it melts in less than five minutes." Gray mumbled.

"I don't see any bakery's that sell strawberry cake." Erza pouted.

They stopped by a waterfall.

"Aw yeah! Something to cool us off!" Gray immediately stripped and dove in.

"Ahh! My eyes!" Natsu covered his eyes.

"Stop whining and do something productive, let's go find something to eat."

"Yeah, I hear you." Natsu began to look. "What the hell are these?"

He held up two lizard/snake creatures by their tails. They had sharp thorn like stuff on their spines, a pointy head with horns and scales that flashed an angry red. Their midget limbs flailing everywhere.

"Natsu put them down! They could be poisonous!"

"Hai, hai." Natsu dropped the beings; their scales flashed a calm blue.

"Mm, berries." Erza was popping pink and purple berries that she had found in her mouth.

"Who knows, maybe those could be poisonous too." Natsu said.

"Don't be ridiculous, these berries are called," She stuffed another handful in her mouth. "Armphingl." The name was inaudible with her mouth full.

Natsu's head perked up.

"I smell Luce." He said softly.

Then he began sniffing the trees, dashing from one to another, Erza following him from behind, and Gray, who had left the waterfall a minute ago, behind her. They stopped in a clearing of sticks and dirt.

"It's been a while, but Luce was here. And the scent gets even stronger over here." Natsu made his way towards a rocky path.

All three ended up at the mouth of a cave, if it weren't for Natsu's dragon like nose, they would have never found it hidden behind a bunch of vines. They parted the vines away and explored the cave. They were surprised to see a heap of blankets, some dried up fish and berries, clothing, and some weapons.

"Yeah, Lucy was here alright. This is her bow, isn't it?" Erza held up a scarp of green fabric.

"No doubt about it, Lucy and her bows…" Gray chuckled.

"I can smell Luce's scent mixed with that other girl_, Astrid_." Natsu snarled at the name. "But, even if they were here, they haven't been for a while.

"I can tell." Gray gestured towards those snake/lizard like things, they were about to attack a slice of strawberry cake. **(A/N Remember Astrid gave it to Lucy as a present?)**But Titania beat them to it.

"Mmph! _So_ good!" She mumbled.

The boys sweat dropped.

"There might be something wrong with my nose, but I think I can smell some old man and cheap cologne here too." Natsu said.

"Yeah, your nose is messed up." The ice mage clarified.

"Oi, what did you say ice freak?!" Natsu cracked his knuckles.

Erza didn't really care what was happening; at the moment; all that mattered was her cake.

* * *

**Sorry, this chapter wasn't the best, I had to go to a birthday party earlier, so my energy is drained, plus it's like 11:17PM here.**

**I don't know what I should call those snake/lizard things, any ideas?**

**Please review, and hope you liked!**

**Bye! ~**


	13. Berries and Ice Cream

**My brother is ticking me off so much right now, but I got the next chapter in, yay! The beginning of the chapter was just for fun, you'll know what I mean one you read it :3 Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, I own blah blah blah. Enjoy! ~**

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I hear a scraping sound. I slowly opened my eyes to see Lucy moving the boulder out of the way so she could get out. Heh, I wonder where or how she went to sleep. I stretched myself on the two "beds"; it was late this morning, maybe about nine or ten. Damn, we were supposed to leave at around six so we could head out.

I sprung out of "bed" and followed Lucy out of the cave.

"Oh, I see you're awake." Lucy said when I caught up with her, she was waiting for me.

I walked towards her but then the ground gave under me. _'What the hell is going on here?!'_ I thought.

"KYAAA!~" I fell.

Then I heard a tinkling laughter. Wow Lucy, just wow.

"Ok, the joke is over now, let me out. Luuce! ~" I called out.

Then a clump of dirt got in my mouth, I spat it out.

"Ew, what the-"More dirt fell down.

"Luce?! Are you burying me alive?!" I exclaimed.

"This is what you get for eating the food and taking my bed!" She scooped up more dirt and threw it down.

Geez is this is what it is all about? I mean, I get it, I would be pretty angry too if someone had eaten all my food and took my bed, but still. This isn't worth dying for!

"Luce, please! Stop! You don't want to do this!" I cried out, the dirt was up to my ears now.

"Oh, yes I do." She heaved one last load of dirt that covered my head completely.

There was no more oxygen, I felt light headed, my lungs desperately looking for air. Then I blacked out.

I shot up out of bed. I think I had a nightmare or something because I was sweating bullets. Hmm it must have been pretty bad, but I can't remember anything, all that I do remember was being encased in dirt.

I saw Lucy push the boulder out of the way so that she could leave the cave. It was about nine or ten in the morning, damn; I was hoping to get up at around six so that we could leave early. Oh well.

I followed Luce out of the cave, once I had caught up with her she said,

"Oh, I see you're awake."

Then ground suddenly gave out underneath me. My first thought was _'Whoa déjà vu!'_ and my second thought was _'What the hell is going on here?!'_

"KYAAA! ~" I fell in.

Then I heard a tinkling laughter. Yeah, this is totally déjà vu.

"_That,_ is what you get, for eating all the food and taking my bed!" She chucked three berries at my head.

"Here's breakfast, I'm going to clean myself off at that lake a mile away, and I'll come back when I'm done." She winked and then left.

"You're dead, you know that right?" I shouted but only got more laughter in return.

I attempted to climb my way out, but the dirt around me was too slick and moist to go up. I huffed and ate the three berries. After a while, I started to punch the dirt wall out of boredom. 200 punches later I heard a noise. Lucy stuck her hand in the pitfall.

"Here, I'll help you up." She leaned in.

I grabbed hold of her hand and she pulled me up. Once above ground, Lucy collapsed on the ground panting.

"Phew, *pant* you really are *pant* fat." We both got up.

"Oh stop, we both know I'm light as a feather." I argued.

We talked back at each other like that for a while until I decided to go clean myself off. When I came back, Lucy was leaning against a tree eating more berries. She refused to share so I got some of my own. After that we set off.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

They stayed the night in the same cave that Lucy was in before. Then they got up early at around six in the morning and left the cave in search of Konoha, at about noon. They stumbled upon it. It looked like a pretty normal village, more like a small city actually. There were bookshops, ice cream stores, a bank, a central plaza with the whole fountain and everything. But when Erza spotted a bakery, she went bezerk.

Sprinting towards the quaint little shop, dragging the poor boys behind her, she burst into the store almost knocking the doors off their hinges. She inhaled deeply at the aroma in the room.

"ONE STRAWBERRY CAKE DELUXE PLEASE!" She marched over towards the counter.

"Uh, do you have any jalapeño cheese cakes?" The fire mage asked, his stomach growling.

"I don't want anything." Gray said to no one in particular.

They paid for the food and sat down at one of the small tables scattered in the room.

"Mmph, so good." Erza stuffed her mouth.

"I hear you." Natsu did the same with his cheesecake.

Gray sweat dropped at the two.

"Well," he spoke up. "Since you guys got cake, I'm getting ice cream after this."

"Sure." Erza said before inhaling another piece.

They fishished the pastries and looked around the village some more, asking questions if anyone had seen a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes with a girl with brown hair and grey eyes, but they had no luck. Their last stop was the ice cream store, just for Gray.

"Excuse me, but I would like a blueberry blizzard topped with ice shavings please." Gray asked the waitress after they had settled down in a booth.

"One cinnamon blaze with hot sauce topping miss." Natsu ordered.

"I would like a strawberry ice cream, pink cone, cake bits, and rainbow sprinkes please." Erza said.

After the waitress left, Natsu started to sniff around.

"I think I can smell Luce, but it's been ages since she visited the shop."

"So now we know that Lucy was definitely here, but then left not too long ago."

"Yeah, probably after she ran into us, since _you_ stole her backpack." The ice mage muttered.

"Well at least we got to see her, _ice freak_." Natsu said.

"Who you calling an ice freak?"

"You ordered ice shavings on your ice cream!"

"I want to keep it cool!"

"Stop_. Arguing_." Erza glared at the two, a vein popping out of her head.

"Here you go! A blueberry blizzard with ice shavings, cinnamon blaze with hot sauce, and a strawberry ice cream, pink cone, cake bits, and rainbow sprinkles." The waitress set down the three dishes.

"Mm this is almost like strawberry cake!" Erza ate a spoonful.

"These ice shavings are delicious!"

"Miss, have you seen a girl, about our age? She has blonde hair and brown eyes; she may have had a side bow in her hair perhaps?" Natsu asked.

The waitress pondered the question. "Hmm I believe so; it was quite a few days ago. She was with another girl her age I believe. Ordered the same this as your friend over there." She pointed at Erza who was almost finished with her ice cream.

"Thanks." Natsu had a scoop of his own ice cream.

_'Whoa, this stuff is really good'_ He thought, savoring the taste.

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Ugh, are we there yet?" I asked.

"For the last time no! We have like; three days left so quit your whining already."

"But I'm hungry, and tired, and bored out of my mind." I whined again.

"So am I, but you don't see me complaining do you?" She asked.

"You have a good reason; you're older, so you're more mature." I pointed out

"Only by ten months!" Astrid exclaimed.

"It still counts." I crossed my arms and huffed.

"Baby~" I heard Astrid mutter.

"I am not a baby!" I argued.

"You are younger than me aren't you?" Astrid asked.

"Only by ten months!" I shouted.

"See? Ten months isn't that big of a difference." Astrid said.

She had tricked me to admitting it to myself, smart.

"Ah!" Astrid doubled over.

"I am so not falling for that again." I remember the last time when she pretended to "faint".

"No! This is real; there is something seriously wrong with my stomach."

"Haha yeah, sure it is." I shook my head.

"Ah!" Astrid scrunched up her face in pain and leaned against a tree for support.

By this time, I kind of figured out that she wasn't faking and was actually hurt somehow.

"Ash! You okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" She looked at me.

"Nope." I said.

"Well then don't just stand there, help me! There's a town a few miles south from here."

"Um, which way is south?"

"Ugh, that way!" She pointed off into the trees.

I was about to help her up when she vomited up a bunch of berries.

"What the, did you seriously poison these berries?!" She wiped her mouth and looked at me wildly.

"Even though this is pretty amusing, I didn't poison you, promise!"

"Like I would believe you."

I rolled my eyes, "Let's just go."

After five minutes of hauling Astrid to town I felt a sharp pain in my side.

"Ah!" I dropped Astrid to the ground and fell down.

"HA! Look who's poisoned now!" Astrid pointed at me laughing.

"Shut *groan* up." I slowly got up. "I don't want to be puking all over the place like that disgusting habit of yours."

"Hey, you're the one who picked the bad berries."

"Whatever." I took off.

We stumbled into a town called Granelle, found a hospital, and passed out.

* * *

**Well, I've never really had food poisoning before, but it seems pretty bad…**

**Any other ideas on what to call those snake/lizard things, you can PM or review it to me**

**Review if you want, I would appreciate it if you did**

**Bye! ~**


	14. Delicious Delicacies

**Ugh, I had a dentist appointment today, gums hurt. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, I own the plot of this story though :3**

* * *

**_~3 Day Timeskip!~_**

**_~Granelle's Hospital~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Three days have passed since the two cousins fell ill with food poisoning, every once in a while they would regain consciousness and mumble hateful words at each other, but would soon pass out. The doctor had said that they should get better any day now.

"What year is it?" Lucy groaned and then sat up. "Don't tell me I was asleep for seven years again!" She exclaimed, wide eyed.

She was in a room almost completely white, there were a few chairs scattered around a tiny desk, a potted plant, and a medical cabinet.

"Be quiet will ya? And what the hell are you talking about anyways?" Astrid pushed herself up a little and rubbed her eyes.

"Huh?" Lucy had completely forgotten what she had just said.

"Ugh, nevermind." Astrid fell back down and sighed.

Then a petite nurse with pale blue scrubs walked in holding a clipboard.

"I see you two have woken up." She said with a small smile.

"Seems like you were affected by some poisonous berries?" She looked at the girls.

They nodded grimly.

"We kind of figured it out pretty quickly." Lucy looked at Astrid, remembering what had happened.

"But for the record, it wasn't my fault." Astrid glared at Lucy.

"_Yeah right,"_ Lucy snorted. "Do you not remember taking all those berries for yourself?"

The nurse looked at the two arguing and sweat dropped.

"Well I can see that the sickness has passed over, you are very lucky, those Doku berries can sometimes cause death. It amazes me at how fast you recovered."

The two girls stopped bickering and gawked at the nurse.

"_Death?_!" The both exclaimed.

"So you _were_ trying to kill me!" Astrid pointed a finger a Lucy. "Because you knew you could never kill me in a real fight, so you decided to play dirty!"

"Why on Earthland would I poison myself too then?!" Lucy said.

"Hmm, I guess you have a point…" Astrid murmured.

"*Ahem* Now that you are obviously in good condition," The nurse said rather irritated. "You have a bill to pay, hospital fees and such." She showed them the clipboard as well as the number with many zeroes coming after it.

They went silent; both knowing that they were flat out broke.

"Well, you see um… we don't have any jewels on us…." Lucy scratched her head.

"Do you have any problems in the town? Any robberies?" Astrid suggested, thinking a job will make up for the unpaid fee.

"As a matter of fact, there is." The nurse tapped her chin and looked up. "Just the other day, the local bakery was broken into, and the supply of strawberry cakes were taken. They must have been eaten by now, but we need the culprit to pay for them." The nurse explained. **(A/N I know it's a lame job)**

"Was the thief a woman, with long scarlet hair?" Lucy thought Erza might be behind all of this.

"No actually, the only thing we know that it is a man in his twenties that is all."

_'Of course it wasn't Erza. She would never steal.'_ Lucy thought, ashamed that she had suspected Titania.

"Well then, what the hell are we waiting for? Hurry up slow poke and get up! Let's catch this cake stealing bastard!" Astrid shot out of bed and raced out the door.

"Ugh, coming." Lucy moaned, throwing off her blankets.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

After their ice cream treat, they went back to the cave, packed up, and set off because it was clear that Lucy had left. Three days have passed now, and they were travelling through the forest following Natsu, who was following Lucy's scent.

"So, what plan on doing when we find Lucy?" Gray asked as they trudged through the brush.

"Um, take her back I guess." Erza obviously hadn't come up with a plan.

"And if she doesn't want to?" The ice mage questioned.

"Then I'll just have to drag her back myself." Natsu joined the conversation.

"And what about Astrid, she's got to be with her, surely she'll stop you." Gray pointed out.

"Oh _please_, I'm not going to get beaten by a _girl_!" Natsu sounded confident.

_"Oh_?" Erza turned around and looked at Natsu while cracking her knuckles, an evil grin spread across her face.

"Well, I go easy on you, that's why I always lose…" Natsu came up with an excuse under the pressure.

"Haha riiight." Gray chuckled, earning a glare from the fire mage.

"_Oi!_ What's your pro-_UGH_!" Natsu was interrupted by a sickening smell that only his dragon nose could sense.

"What is it Natsu?" Erza questioned the fire mage who was now pinching his nose in attempt to block out the smell.

"Smells like someone had a two week old unrefrigerated pie and couldn't hold it in!" Natsu gagged.

"Well whatever it is, we'll find it eventually…" Gray assumed.

They walked for another five minutes, Natsu getting more nauseous every second, Erza bored out of her mind, and Gray. Gray was walking with a bounce in each step, happy that Natsu was miserable getting stuck with the stench. Then, not paying attention where he was going, he misplaced his footing and slipped in a glop of, _'Oh god no, don't tell me this is-' _Gray's thoughts were cut off by annoying laughter.

_"BWAHAHAHAHA_!" Natsu hollered with laughter spitting fire as well. "And I thought the smell was bad!"

Erza just rolled her eyes and helped Gray up. He got some of _it_ on his pants and his back. He sprinted full speed to the small and muddy pond they passed not too long ago and took a mini-bath.

"Ugh, this is so gross!" He wiped off the vomit with a big leaf he had found.

Natsu was still chuckling in the background and Erza just crossed her arm and huffed.

"Hurry up Gray; we have to find Lucy before she gets any farther." Erza grunted.

At the mention of Lucy's name, Natsu stopped his laughing and looked sad.

"Luce…" He muttered.

"Mood swings, great." Gray said getting up after wiping and washing it all off.

"Smells like Astrid." Natsu scrunched his face. "This stuff must be hers then."

"She must be sick or something." Erza murmured.

"Really?!" Natsu looked kind of happy, and then he knitted his eyebrows. "Wait, whatever sickness she has, it could be contagious! Luce might get sick, or even die!" Natsu started to run south frantically.

"Where are you going?" Erza yelled.

"Luce and sicko Astrid's trail of scent goes this way!" Natsu shouted back. "And she's close!"

With that, Erza and Gray stumbled behind the overly excited/worried Salamander.

* * *

**_~Granelle~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We entered the bakery; it was a lot bigger than the one we passed back in Konoha. This one had everything from Chocolate mint macaroons to baked Alaska. Yes, they even had jalapeño cupcakes I sighed inwardly.

I miss Natsu. Wait, what am I thinking! _'He practically abandoned you Lucy; you can't possibly have feelings for him, could you?'_ No, no way. Not. Possible._ 'Good, because you don't deserve to be put through any more pain.' _I hear you all right. _'But he is pretty good looking…' _Oi! Aren't you supposed to be helping me? _'I'm just saying… you know it's true though.' _Just, be quiet! Okay?

"-_CY! LUUCE!?" _A hand waved in front of my face.

"Huh? What?" I blinked.

"Phew, I thought you finally lost it or something. You just spaced out, must have been staring at all this food, you even started to drool I think…" She smirked.

"Really?!" I quickly raised my hand to wipe my mouth.

"I was just kidding." Astrid rolled her eyes and looked back at the treats in front of us.

"Wow they have everything; everything except for strawberry caked that is." Astrid scanned the counters.

"How may I help you today ladies?" A man said from behind the counter, he had slick black hair, suit and tie. He almost looked like a butler. "Here at _Delicious Delicacies _we have what you crave and desire!" He smiled a weird smile.

"Cre~epy…" Astrid whispered so that only I could hear.

"Actually," I looked at Astrid with an '_I know right?' _face. "We're here to help you. It's about the stolen strawberry cakes."

"Ah, yes that. My sister worked very hard on baking those, poured her heart and soul into them." The mad shook his head sadly and sniffed.

"Um, okay? Mind if we look around?" I asked with a fake smile.

"Don't see a problem with that!" His head snapped back up and he was grinning. "As long as you don't nibble on the little treats now!" He waved his index finger.

"Yeah sure…" Astrid looked at me with a _'This guy is crazy!'_ look on her face.

The man entered the kitchen and we could hear an "Ohayo Onee-chan!" and then a "Leave me alone already…" said an angry female voice.

"Heh, looks like they don't have such a great brother sister relationship." I muttered, thinking about how well me and Astrid get along with each other. Well, most of the time.

"Yep." Astrid replied.

We walked behind the counter and kneeled on the ground, looking for any evidence that the cake thief could have left behind. I saw in one of the cracks of the tile a few strands of blue hair. Hmm blue hair, the only guys in their mid-twenties that I know with blue hair is Jellal, Siergrain, Mystogan, and Gerard.

Well, Siergrain was just a projection of Gerard, and then Gerard turned out to be Jellal in the end. And Mystogan was in Edolas being prince of a country. So there's a really high chance that it was Jellal. Question is, why would he steal cakes? Wasn't he fighting the dark guilds with Meredy and Ultear? Then it hit me.

Erza loves strawberry cake right? And Jellal obviously has a major crush on her. He was probably going to give them to her a gift. It made perfect sense. After all, they were strawberry cakes. But why steal them? Maybe it was the whole fugitive thing…yeah probably.

"Ash, I think I know who the culprit is." I held up the strands of hair.

"Who?" She looked at me, confused.

"Jellal Fernandez."

"Who is- oh, you mean that guy you told me about? Blue hair, red tattoo, evil then good, and has a major crush on Titania?"

"Yep, that's the one."

"Makes sense I guess…" Astrid mumbled.

There was suddenly a loud bang, me and Astrid flinched.

"Oh my gosh." A familiar voice said. "This is the famous _Delicious Delicacies_ I've heard so much about!" The woman squealed.

Oh no, this can't be! Not now…

"YOU THERE!" The woman said fiercely.

At first I thought she had seen me and Astrid hiding behind the counter, but her voice seemed to be directed at the butler dude who had just walked out of the kitchen. He glanced at me and Astrid weirdly. But Ash must have known who this rowdy woman was too, we both waved out hands in front of our necks, signaling him that we weren't here. He got the memo and walked to the front of the counter.

"How may I help you today miss? Here at _Delicious Delicacies_ we have wh-" His greeting was cut off by a,

"I WOULD LIKE HALF A DOZEN STRAWBERRY CAKES PLEASE!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Astrid slumped and sweat dropped.

I did the same; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

**I am so excited to write the next chapter!**

**If ****_you know who_**** is there then ****_you know who_**** is there too right?!**

**Review? Please!**

**Bye! ~**


	15. The Chase

**17****th**** chapter, here we are! Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, if I did, NaLu moments would definitely happen more often :3**

* * *

**_~Delicious Delicacies~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I had slowed down when we got to the town, but Erza spotted a bakery. And before we knew it, she had dragged both me and Gray in there with her.

She started to shout some bizarre stuff about cake, but I was inhaling deeply. It smelled so good in here, especially after what I smelled a few moments ago. I shuddered at the memory.

Then I caught Luce's scent, strawberries and vanilla, she's really close. But before I did anything, I noticed my surroundings there were _strawberry_ cupcakes in one corner and _vanilla_ cream pie on a shelf that explains the smell. But then I caught the scent of cinnamon mint, Astrid had that scent. That was before I noticed the chocolate _mint_ macaroons on display and the _cinnamon_ cookies on the counter.

This place is messing with my nose; I shook my head in confusion.

**_~Normal POV~_**

Astrid inwardly groaned. _'This sucks, like a lot.' _She thought and then looked at Lucy.

"So, what now?" Astrid whispered

"Um, let's just check to see if it is really them." Lucy got up a little to take a peek.

And Astrid did the same. The first thing they saw was the beautiful redhead Titania. The other dude was half naked. _'Tch, stripper'_ Astrid thought. He had raven colered hair, a blue Fairy Tail mark on his chest, and a cross on a necklace. And saving the worst for last, it was the idiot pink haired Natsu, he looked relieved or something. He was deeply inhaling the aroma that the shop gave off.

The two girls shot back down immediately.

"The hell are they doing here?" Astrid hissed.

"How am I supposed to know?! Maybe Erza felt like eating cake?" Lucy guessed.

"Oh yeah, because they would travel all the way over here for _cake_." Astrid sarcastically said.

"Eh, could be." Lucy shrugged.

"Well, either way, we got to get out of here." They looked around for an exit.

"I'm sorry miss, but we are all out of our delicious strawberry cakes at the moment." The butler dude announced.

_"WHAT?! _HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! I _demand_ an immediate explanation!" Erza punched her fist on the counter.

The butler dude flinched. "W-Well um…a few days ago, all of our strawberry cakes have been stolen. My dear sister poured her heart and soul into baking them. At the moment, she is a bit depressed to make anymore."

Astrid managed to fight the urge to shout "Yeah right."

The girls decided to crawl towards the kitchen door, thinking they would be safe in there for now.

"If you need any help catching this cake thief, we would be more than glad to help." Erza held her head up high.

"What?! But we're supposed to be looking for Luu~ce!" They heard an annoying voice, Natsu.

They both stopped crawling, looked at the direction of the three and that at each other.

"I knew they weren't here for the cake." Astrid said in a '_told you so'_ voice.

"Tch, whatever. This just makes our problem even worse." Lucy continued to crawl.

"I really want to find Lucy too, but if we have a chance to help out these citizens in need, then we will. Now," The redhead looked at butler dude. "There is no need to reward us in jewels; I will accept your payment in cake once we have completed the job." She paused at the word 'cake' with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Gomen, but two young ladies have already taken up on the offer." Butler dude said.

"Eh?! They plan on stealing my cake too?! I mean, what two ladies?" Erza had a fake smile on her face.

Lucy and Astrid quickly scuttled into the kitchen and then hid behind the island counter. They were both out of breath from the anxiety.

"Well, they were both very beautiful." The butler dude's eyes sparkled.

Lucy and Astrid both shuddered.

"I can't stand this place any longer! This guy is giving me the creeps." Lucy squeaked.

"You don't say." Astrid gave her a _'are you kidding me'_ face. "Look, there's a back entrance all we have to do is-" Astrid was cut off by a woman.

She was in her thirties, she had her honey brown hair tied up in a bun, she was pretty tall, and had a pale cream apron wrapped around her neck and waist. _'So this must be the sister'_ they both thought. She was mixing what looked like to be batter in a big bowl.

"What are you doing here?" The woman questioned.

"Um, we're helping you with the strawberry cake problem, sorry for you loss?" Lucy remembered what the butler dude said about his sister being heartbroken.

"I have no idea what Jim told you girls, but cakes are cakes. It's not like I would put my life on the line for them." She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, then why aren't you baking anymore?" Astrid asked.

"Well, the new shipments of fresh strawberries haven't come in yet, so I never got the chance, get up off of the floor already!" She ordered.

Lucy and Astrid both stood up, then Astrid pointed to the back exit.

"Um, we need to continue our uh…_investigation_ outside miss." Astrid grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her outside, slamming the door behind her. Leaving the woman standing there dumbfounded.

"Well, that was unexpected." Lucy huffed and looked back at the store.

"How the hell did they find us?!" Astrid exclaimed.

"No idea, but I know one thing. We're leaving before they catch us."

"I hear you." Astrid mumbled and then they dashed to where the small houses were scattered about.

* * *

**_~Delicious Delicacies~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

What? Two girls? Could it be? And beautiful? I guess that would fit Luce's description, but I'm not sure about Astrid. Wait, what am I saying? Lucy…beautiful? I like Lucy as my nakama, nothing more! Right?

"What else can you tell us about the two other than 'beautiful'? That doesn't give us much to go off of." Gray said.

"Well, they were both female…" We sweat dropped. "…one had golden blonde hair that cascaded past her shoulders; the other had dark brown hair, almost like a triple dark chocolate fudge cake. The girl with blonde hair had milky chocolate colored eyes, but he dark haired one had stormy gray eyes, they both had an admirable chest though." The man nodded at the last part.

"_OKAY_, we get it." I rubbed my head. "Can you tell us where they are now?" I had a serious face, determined to find my Luce.

Wait, _my_ Luce? Why do I keep thinking about stuff like that?

"But of course! They are right he-" He stopped.

"Right where?" I looked over the counter to where he was pointing but saw nothing.

"Well they _were_ here." He mumbled. "They must have gone searching for clues in the kitchen."

Then we all heard a slam. Me, Erza, and Gray went in the kitchen to go check it out. We found a woman in her thirties with honey brown hair up in a bun wearing an apron holding a big wooden spoon with batter on it. She was just staring at the door.

"Where are they?" I practically shouted, scanning the room.

Wow, this kitchen is so small; it's a mystery on how that woman could bake so much stuff all at once.

"O-Over there." She pointed at the door.

I took the spoon out of her hand, liked the batter off and gave it back to her. Mm, lemony. She hit me in the head with the same spoon.

"You don't just go around licking people's spoons!" She hit him in the head. "Aren't you going to go chase after your friends or something?" She asked.

"Oh yeah!" I ran out the door, Erza and Gray behind me.

Then I spotted two figures in the distance. Blonde hair and Brown hair blowing in the wind. I started sprinting. '_I'm not going to lose you again Luce.'_

"LUUUUUSHEEEEE!" I shouted.

Both heads turned around and looked at me in horror. What? Was there something on my face?

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We were running to the nearest house hoping to hide there for a while. When I heard someone.

"LUUUUUSHEEEEE!"

I turned around the same time Astrid did, we were still running though. I saw a blur of pink hair followed by a half-naked man and a woman in armor, scarlet red hair blowing in the wind.

I looked at Astrid, and Astrid looked at me.

"I _*pant*_ have an idea!" I said as we dodged some trees.

"What _*pant*_ is it? It better be good because _*pant*_ we don't really have _*pant **pant*_ that much time here." Astrid growled.

"Why don't we _*pant*_ just teleport back to the _*pant*_ hospital?" I asked.

"Because, _*pant*_ after the food poisoning our magical energy _*pant*_ had drained a bit, not to mention _*pant**pant*_we didn't do anything active for the past 3 days, we don't _*pant*_have enough energy to get all the way to the_*pant*_ hospital. See? We're already _*pant*_panting!" Astrid explained.

"Oh _*pant*_ yeah." I looked back and widened my eyes even more.

They were gaining on us!

"What's wrong?" Astrid looked back and her eyes did the same. "Oh, shit…" She muttered.

* * *

**Haha, looks like Natsu is literally chasing after a girl!**

**I got this chapter done earlier than expected…**

**Review if you wish!**

**Bye! ~**


	16. Mall Hideout

**I spent the morning watching my favorite Fairy Tail episodes :3 Hiro Mashima is the owner of Fairy Tail, I wonder where he got the idea. Now let's start a game of hide and seek!**

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~ _**

Me and Astrid have gotten used to running at this pace. We were no longer panting or sweating, it was like a nice jog in the park. I guess all of that training was worth it, otherwise I would have passed out by now. Erza and Gray were about twenty meters away, but Natsu. Natsu was only ten meters away.

"Looks like they've slowed down a bit." Astrid said looking.

"Yeah, if only Natsu wasn't such a fireball of energy." I muttered, seeing how he hasn't even broken a sweat.

"Tell me about it." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"So, how was your day?" I started up a conversation to pass the time as we dodged around a tree.

"Well, you know same old, same old. I woke up in a hospital room and investigated a bakery. But the highlight of my day was getting chased by a pink haired maniac."

"Oh my gosh," I put a hand to my heart. "I had the same thing happen to me!"

"No way!" Astrid looked at me in shock.

We started to laugh as we circled around town; it wasn't that big to run around in. I looked back again and saw Erza walk into the bakery that we passed at least four times already. One down two to go.

"So what are we going to do when this is all over? I mean, we can't go back to the bakery for obvious reasons. How are we going to pay back the hospital?" I was wondering about this for quite a while.

"I don't know, maybe we just continue on going to Clementine, do a job, come back and then pay them later." Astrid shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess that's reasonable." I continued on jogging.

After another few minutes of talking I looked behind again, only to find no one tailing us. Me and Ash slowed to a stop and looked around.

"You think we lost them?" Astrid scanned the area.

"Nah, they're too persistent." I looked behind a tree.

"Then where the head did pinky and stripper go?!"

"Natsu and Gray." I sighed. "And how should I know maybe they're taking a break? Or planning a surprise attack? Well, Natsu can't plan, he's not that smart. But Gray might have the brains…" I rambled off ideas.

"Ok, what are you talking about?" Astrid questioned.

"No idea." I didn't really think it mattered anyway.

"Ok then," She sighed. "Let's get out of here before they get to us again."

"But Natsu can still smell us." I pointed out.

"Luce, do you have any idea how weird that sounded?" Astrid looked at me concerned.

"Huh? Oh, remember what I told you? Natsu has enhanced sense of smell and hearing, all dragon slayers do." I reminded her.

"Well, isn't that just peachy?" Astrid threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Tell me about it." I sighed.

"So how are we supposed to cover up or smell then?" Astrid walked around a big oak tree in the park and started to climb it.

"I don't know, perfume?" I leaned against the same tree and began playing with the loose thread on my shirt; I really needed to get a new one.

"And how are we supposed to get that? No jewels remember?" Astrid said, she was hanging upside down on the lowest branch of the tree, her hair barely touching the grass.

"Yeah, you've got a point…" I murmured under my breath.

There was a slight breeze, I closed my eyes and sighed. Then I felt something tickling my face. The wind was blowing Astrid hair towards me.

"Ew Ash your hair is getting in my mouth!" I stepped out of range so my face won't get attacked.

"You're so weird Lucy." Astrid was now swinging on the branch, and then her eyes went wide. "_Holy shit!"_ She hissed then lost her grip and fell from the tree, head first.

"Oh my god! You okay?" I ran to her aid.

"Does it _look_ like I'm okay?" She growled.

"Hehe guess not, what spooked you so much that you would fall though?" I asked.

"Oh nothing, it's just that our personal stalkers have come to pay us a visit." She said nonchalantly.

Confused I looked up and saw Natsu, in panic I turned around to run the other direction but I was stopped by Gray. Erza must still be in the bakery then. But still, there was no escape. I sighed in defeat, but Astrid just said "Tch" while crossing her arms.

"You got us." I held my hands up in surrender.

"Tch." Astrid grunted and leaned on the tree.

Natsu and Gray walked to each other and looked at us. They both broke into a wide grin.

_"Lucy!/LUCE!_" They both said at the same time and gave me a bear hug, more like death hug.

"Um, g-guys. Cant. Breathe." My face turned blue.

They let go and Natsu hooked my arm in his and pulled me away. I immediately unlinked our arms.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?!" I exclaimed, backing away.

"Well, now that we've got you, we're going to go back to the bakery where Erza is,"

_Figures._

"And then we'll take you back to Fairy Tail." Natsu explained.

"I'm not going anywhere." I walked back to where Astrid was.

She was watching us with an amused expression. I gave her a scowl.

"And why not? ~" Natsu whined like a little kid.

Before I turned around to face him I gave Astrid a wink, she smirked and got up walking towards me. I turned around with tears in my eyes, threatening to fall any second now. Natsu stepped back a little in shock but then quickly grabbed my arm and then gave me a tight hug. The tears fell, getting his scarf wet. I started sobbing.

"Shhh, it's okay Luce." He stroked my hair.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Astrid; her head hung low with a depressed expression on her face and tears brimmed her eyes. Gray, feeling a bit sympathetic at the moment pulled her into a hug as well. I swore I saw a blush tint her cheeks, but it must have been my blurry vision from the tears. She slightly nodded her head in my direction and I did the same. I leaned into Natsu's ear and whispered.

"Sorry."

He loosened his grip a bit in confusion; I took the opportunity to knee him in the gut. He collapsed the same time Gray did. Me and Astrid sprinted out of the park. I wiped away the leftover tears off my cheeks.

"Nice acting you've got there, those were the best crocodile tears I've ever seen!" She looked pretty amazed.

"Right back at you, look!" I pointed toward the mall. "Let's hide there!"

We dashed through the doors and found ourselves in a clothing store. We wove throughout the racks of clothing and left throughout the other end, but then something caught my eye.

"Oh my god this is so cute!" I shrieked.

Astrid took my arm and pulled me away. "Leave it." She grunted.

The next store we walked to was a perfume shop.

"Well I'll be damned; this is just what we need." Astrid stared at the wall of perfume in front of her.

"Ooh look free sample!" I ran over to the little stand that had a bottle of jasmine & white orchid scented perfume and a raspberry & citrus scented one.

"Here" I tossed Ash the jasmine & white orchid bottle, we both sprayed ourselves. I sneezed

"Geez Ash, isn't that a bit much?" I wafted the misty air.

"I could say the same about you." Astrid coughed.

We ran out of the shop, overwhelmed by the smell and made our way to the next store, which just so happened to be a wig shop.

"I don't know, none of the customers have bought these, let alone glance at them for the past two weeks!" Said one of the employees.

"Fine, you can get rid of them if you want." Said a woman, who looked like the manager.

"Wait!" I called out to the employee who was holding two wigs in her hand. "We'll take those, but we ran out of jewels at the last store we went to." Lucy came up with an excuse so it doesn't sound like they're poor.

"No problem! I was about to throw them out anyways." The employee handed a jet black wig with curls to me and an auburn wig with beachy waves to Astrid.

"Um, thanks?" Astrid mumbled

She examined her wig and then put it on in front of a mirror. I did the same and then we were off to the next store. And it was yet another clothing store, but when we walked in, a trap door in the ceiling opened causing balloons to fall out, streamers shot all around us and we could hear cheering.

"What the?!" I looked around at the people around us clapping.

Me and Astrid looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Congratulations! You young ladies are our one millionth customers! As a reward you get one million jewels along with a free outfit of your choice! Congratulations!" Said a man at the front of the crowd.

He held a bag of what looked like to be…jewels? He handed them over to me and the guided us through the crowd. We chose to wear the new outfits we won and walked out of the store in a daze.

"Hey Ash?" I asked in a monotone.

"Hmm?" She was expressionless.

"Did all that stuff really just happen?" I asked.

"I don't know, did it?" She wandered aimlessly.

"I think we have a secret genie." I thought out loud.

"Excuse me?" Astrid snapped out of her daydream at looked at me.

We stopped walking and sat on a bench.

"I mean, first we get rid of our scent so Natsu can't sniff us out. Then we get free wigs so they don't notice our hair. And then we win new clothes along with a million jewels. This has to be the work of a genie or something because three wishes right? We got them."

"Yeah I guess you're right." Astrid put it together.

Then we heard the clinking of metal. We turned around only to see a red haired woman eating a strawberry muffin with two complaining idiots behind her.

"Hey Luce?" Astrid leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"What?" I wondered what could be so important at a time like this.

"How many wishes do we have left?" She looked at the three.

"We just ran out." I muttered.

"Damn, I really wanted some ice cream!" She hissed.

"That's what you were going to wish for?! Did you forget the situation we are in right now?!" I hissed.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to waste a wish on those idiots!" Astrid looked at me like I was crazy.

"Ugh, whatever."

"Are you sure you saw Lucy and Astrid go in here?" Erza said after she had finished her muffin.

Me and Astrid stiffened; they sat down on the same bench as us. Natsu slumped down in his seat and Gray leaned on the armrest, Erza wiped muffin crumbs off her face.

"For the last time yes!" Gray practically shouted.

"Luce is so mean; she pretended to be sad and then kneed me in the gut when I tried comforting her! I mean, what's up with that?!" Natsu spit some fire.

"Yeah, that Astrid chick did the same thing to me too." Gray groaned, rubbing the spot where he got hurt.

I could tell Astrid was trying her best not to laugh, I felt bad though. Tricking them like that. We watched them talk more about finding me and some other meaningless stuff. Then Astrid tapped my shoulder.

"C'mon, what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here already!" She pulled my arm and we walked away.

I took a quick glance behind me only to see Gray and Erza still talking, but Natsu was staring at me. I hurriedly looked away and started to walk faster. We passed a full length mirror by the exit of the mall.

"Whoa, I don't even recognize myself." I said, pulling my wig and adjusting my sunglasses.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Astrid mumbled.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

We had gotten clothing that didn't fit our personality to be on the safe side. So that meant I wore the stuff Lucy usually wore, and she wore the stuff I usually wore. I moved the 'cute' bag Lucy got for me from one shoulder to the other. It held all of our jewels and a few extra stuff we had bought.

We walked out of the mall to the fountain in the central plaza. Then we sat down on one of the benches and took a break.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted" Lucy slumped.

"Tch, wimp." I lounged on the other side of the bench.

"Hey, I had to run around town for forever, and _then_ I have to go through the emotional trauma of tricking Natsu and Gray. And the _worst_ part was shopping at the clothing store, there were so many outfits to choose from I felt like I was going to explode! And then _you_ said that we only had room for one more outfit so that only made things harder…" Lucy rambled on my problems.

"Oi, do I _look_ like your personal psychiatrist to you? Didn't think so." I rubbed my head and closed my eyes.

I was also quite tired. It was already sunset and the mosquitos were coming out. I heard something rustle in the bushes. Lucy must have heard it too because she jumped up from her slouchy position.

"Oi! Stop touching me _ice freak!_" A voice hissed from within the bushes.

"Well there isn't much room her because you're so fat _flame brain_!" Hissed another voice.

"Can this day get any worse?" I hissed myself.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked in a voice different from her own.

Natsu and Gray reluctantly came out from the bushes, and then Erza followed. I think she was eating some sort of pastry? Nah, my eyes must me playing with me.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked once again, eyeing the three.

"Luce! Don't tell me you've forgotten us!" Natsu whined.

Lucy was tooken aback for a moment, but then she recovered.

"My name's not 'Luce' it's Mary." She said bluntly.

I looked at her and whispered. _"Really? Mary?" _She just rolled her eyes.

"Don't think you can fool us Luce, you're our nakama after all." That idiot Natsu said.

"Stop calling me Luce!" Lucy said angrily.

"Lucy," Erza looked at her. "Your keys and whip are right there." The redhead pointed at her whip and keys that were looped into her black belt.

Lucy sighed. "You got me."

"But you did a good job at hiding yourselves; Natsu couldn't even catch your scent, not even now." Gray said.

"Yeah, you smell weird Luce, like fruits." Natsu commented.

Lucy sweat dropped.

"Anyway, there's no escape for you now Luce, we've got Erza now." Natsu stated with a happy grin.

"But I don't want to go back to the guild!" Lucy shouted in anger.

I felt really bad for her, I really did. After what all these jerks have done to her and to still have her smiling majority of the time impresses me.

"We miss you Lucy!" Erza whined.

"We wan't you back in the guild!" Gray said.

"Haven't we been through this already?" I took out the dagger that I always hid in my boot and inspected it before pointing it at them.

"We didn't mean those things we said Luce," Natsu ignored my little comment. "You have no idea how guilty we feel, we don't even know why we said them because they aren't true." Natsu looked pretty serious.

Haha, a serious Natsu. If I hadn't seen it myself I never would have believed it, wait I'm getting off track…

"You're far from weak; you're one of the strongest people I know." Erza said, slowly walking forward.

"Tch, as if! There are loads of people you know that are a hell of a lot stronger than me!" Lucy scoffed.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I was really touched by what they were all saying. But I'm just too flabbergasted at the moment to say the right words. The last time I saw these three, other than today, was at the guild. Everything was happening so fast then too that I didn't know what to say. All of the hateful emotions I had for them would just burst out in my panic.

Truth is, I missed Erza and her cake eating habits so much, and her collection of armor. I missed it when Gray made ice sculptures for me when I got bored. I missed Natsu's goofy smile, and his childish attitude. I missed my apartment and when he would always break into it eating my food and sleeping in my bed. I missed it when we would all go on missions together and Natsu would always burn something down, I missed Natsu and Gray's constant fights and how easily Erza stopped them. I missed my old team, my old nakama. But none of that matters right?

"Look guys, I really appreciate all this. But no matter what you say, the word's you said before were true. I was weak and helpless once upon a time. But now I'm training with Astrid, my cousin," I paused to see Astrid nodding and my old team gawking.

"Astrid has made me a lot stronger. Did you not see how I ran away from you guys and I didn't slow down? That's all because of Astrid; she's like a sister to me…" I trailed off there.

"So, please, stop chasing after me, let me live my life for now and you can go live yours. I promise I'll come back to Fairy Tail…someday." I felt tears forming in my eyes, blurring my vision.

I turned around and blinked them away, wiping my face as well. I turned back around to see Erza's eyes brimming with tears as well, Natsu looked pretty depressed, and Gray's hair was covering his eyes so I couldn't see. I walked up to them and gave Erza a hug.

"I may have lied a bit in that letter; I don't think I'll ever be able to beat you." I whispered in her ear and then giggled a bit.

Gray was next; I wrapped my arms around him and whispered "I'll be waiting for that fight when I get back, and don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

And lastly was Natsu, Instead of me hugging him, he hugged me in a tight grip.

"I will never stop thinking about you Luce." He whispered, shocking me a bit.

"I'll never forget you Natsu; you're one of a kind. And I'm looking forward to our future battle, and remember, no holding back. And tell Lisanna and Happy I said hi." I whispered back.

I tried to let go but Natsu wouldn't let go.

"N-Natsu." I stammered.

He chuckled and let go, but not before lightly kissing me on the forehead. I blinked in surprise causing him to chuckle again.

"You're weird Luce." He said.

"Yeah I'll miss you too." I said.

"Bye guys! I f-forgive you…" I shouted as they walked off.

"Well, that's turned out to be a bit more emotional than expected, especially the kiss~" Astrid teased.

"Shut up." I groaned.

"I'm going to kill him for kissing you though; he doesn't have the rights after what he did." Astrid muttered.

"Hey, I said I forgave him!" I reminded her.

"Don't care, he's still dead meat."

"Whatever Ash." I lightly nudged her to the side.

That earned me a hard shove into a tree.

"Oh it's on…" I smirked.

* * *

**Yay! There you go, a happy ending!**

**Well, don't worry it's not THE ending…**

**Whoa, that was the longest chapter yet!**

**Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to have some ice cream!**

**Review if you must**

**Bye! ~**


	17. Clementine

**Konichiwa! Did you read Fairy Tail chapter 344 yet? Awh, little Erza :3 Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, eh who cares?**

* * *

**_~3 Day Timeskip!~_**

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

They left the town Granelle after their encounter with Lucy and Astrid. Natsu still wanted to go after her, more like stalk. But Erza wouldn't have it. She respected Lucy's wishes and dragged Natsu and Gray onto the Train back to Mangolia. Now they stood in front of the guild. Team Natsu was still a bit sad by the whole thing, but they were glad Lucy had forgiven them.

Natsu kicked the door open with a big bang like he normally did when entering the guild after a job. Everyone stopped what they were doing at looked at the three.

"Well?" Mira put down the cup she was cleaning. "Did you find Lucy?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, but she wanted to be left alone." Erza ate the cake that was waiting for her.

"But no worries! She still forgave us though!" Natsu grinned.

"So she's not at me?" Lisanna squeaked.

"Nope, she even told me to tell you and Happy "Hi". Where is Happy anyways?" Natsu looked around.

"Fishing." Wendy said, hopping onto a barstool.

"Well as long as Lu-chan is okay." Levy let out a sigh of relief along with the rest of the guild.

"She's better than okay, she's gotten a bit stronger too." Gray commented. "And we also found out that Astrid is her _cousin_." Emphasis on cousin.

The guild gasped in surprise.

"That chick was bunny girl's cousin? They look nothing alike." Gajeel said.

"I agree with metal head for once, they have opposite personalities!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's a wonder how well they get along…" Erza thought out loud.

"I'm just glad that she forgave us, especially me!" Natsu grinned again.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

After with the encounter with Team Natsu, Lucy and Astrid went back to the hospital and paid the amount of jewels they owed. Instead of taking the train to Clementine, the decided to travel there on foot to keep up their stamina. Now they stood at the front of the gates, the entrance to the city.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We walked through the enormous gates and strolled around the city, I gasped at the majestic structures of the buildings within. There were various designs and carvings on the sides of the buildings that I could see even from afar. There were glowing lacrima lamp posts lining the streets that kept mosquitos away and an exotic fountain at the center of it all.

"Sugoi." I breathed. (Sugoi = Amazing) "This place is so cool!" I twirled around.

"Yeah yeah, nothing to see here." Astrid rolled her eyes at me.

Then she let out a little gasp.

"They never had this ice cream store last time I came here!" She squealed.

Wait, Astrid doesn't squeal. There must be something wrong with her.

"Ash, are you sick, or possessed? I know you have a thing for ice cream but you shouldn't be acting like this!" I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes trying to break her out of her trance.

"C'mon lets go, we have the jewels now!" She grabbed my arm and practically yanked me towards the shop.

Three ice cream sundae's later we left the store.

"Okay, now that we got what we came here for, we can leave." Astrid dragged me towards the exit.

"What?! First of all, we came here to do a job, not get ice cream." I reminded her.

"It's not like we need any jewels, we won a million!" Astrid held up the bag of jewels.

"But I don't want to live in another forest! Civilization is the best!" I whined.

"Nope, we're leaving, now." She glared at me.

"But-"

"No buts!"

"How about this, I'll buy you ice cream for breakfast every day for the next week, _after_ we go on a job." I bribed.

"Two weeks and it's a deal." Astrid said after a few moments of pondering.

"Fine." I could settle with that answer. "Now let's go find an apartment!"

Roughly two hours later, we managed to find a good apartment. It was slightly larger than my old one; it had two small bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. All for only 90,000J a month.

I threw myself on the plush couch and stretched a bit.

"Ahh, finally some relaxa-" Astrid pushed me off and my head hit the floor.

"Ow! What was that for?" I rubbed the back of my head.

"We came here to go on a mission right? Then stop being such a lazy ass and get up!" She kicked me.

"But it's almost ten and I'm tired!" I whined some more.

_"Ugh, fine."_ Astrid rolled her eyes. "But first, we need to buy more clothing; we only have two outfits. We also need shampoo, some makeup and weapons, lots of weapons." Astrid tallied of all the items with her fingers.

"Mhmm yeah, as long as I don't have to wear the stuff you wear I'm good." I mumbled, getting up off of the floor and heading towards the door.

"And what is wrong with my clothing?" Astrid questioned, a dark aura surrounding her.

"N-Nothing! I-It's just that, I d-don't really like leather jackets that's all." I quivered under her glare.

"Tch, let's go before the stores close." Astrid grabbed her bag and left.

We got to all the stores just before closing time and gathered all of the necessities that we needed. After we got home, I took a shower first. I used my favorite brand of strawberry vanilla shampoo, washing out all of the citrus perfume from before. I brushed my teeth and put on my new fluffy starry sky pajamas and jumped under the covers of my queen sized bed, and fell into a blissful sleep.

I was asleep for about, I don't know _five_ minutes when _Astrid_ came along and hit me in the head.

"Leave me alone." I moaned and pulled the blanket over my head.

"Uh, no you overslept!" Astrid ripped the blanket from my grasp.

I was welcomed by the blinding sunlight shining in my face.

"Ahh!" I quickly shut my eyes and pulled the other blanket over my head.

That too, got taken away. So then I buried my face in my pillow. Next thing I knew that was gone too. I finally gave up and reluctantly got out of bed, dragging my feet to the bathroom. By the time that I brushed my teeth and changed my clothes, it was almost noon.

"I'm waiting for my ice cream~" Astrid impatiently tapped her foot while leaning on the door frame.

"You get that _after_ the mission, remember?" I brushed my hair.

"Ugh, this better be worth it." Astrid grumbled stomping out the door.

I quickly finished tying a ribbon in my hair and followed her out. We went into the town hall where they had a request board for individuals that don't belong in a guild.

"Save a kitten, buy groceries, pay for a train ride? Wow, Fairy Tail has job requests a whole lot better than these." I read off the jobs on the board.

"Hey, how about this one? Guard the Saber's Tooth and the Pink Panther for one night." Astrid took one of the papers down. I looked at it more closely.

"This seems pretty good it pays 500,000J too, just one problem. It's a job requested by SABERTOOTH!" I shrieked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, now that you mention it, this is the Sabertooth symbol right?" Astrid pointed to the corner of the paper. "Oh, come on. They can't be that bad."

"They beat me up at the Grand Magic Games." I said.

"You got stronger." Astrid did have a point.

"Fine." Where is Sabertooth anyway?" I never did know their location.

"Well aren't we lucky, they're on the other side of the city!" Astrid beamed.

"Yeah, great. Just great." I sulked off.

Sabertooth here we come.

* * *

**Ooh! Sabertooth, eh?**

**Who knows where this story could go now?**

**Review or you will face the wrath of the Salamander! No really I can put it in the story where Natsu burns all of you to a crisp.**

**Haha! Just kidding, but seriously. Review.**

**Bye! ~**


	18. Sabertooth

**Hehe did you like that little cliff hanger I left you? I also changed the story's cover a few chapter's back if you hadn't noticed. I felt that it needed more color. I don't own Fairy Tail, but one day… *looks up hopefully***

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

We stood in front of Sabertooth's doors. I've heard that this place was a guild full of cold heartless people. But you can't always believe the rumors can you? I didn't at first, but that was before Lucy told me the story of how this woman named Minerva beat her up. I'll try my best not to beat them up. But no promises.

I punched the guild doors open. I was expecting for it to be a bit more rowdy, like Fairy Tail. But instead there were groups of people huddled out in their own little section talking about secretive stuff. They all stopped what they were doing and slowly turned their heads towards our direction. They looked at us with cold hard glares. I glared back at them, but Lucy just looked sort of…scared? Our glare off went on for a while until a woman approached us.

She looked Chinese and had weird eyebrows. She had straight raven colored hair, some of it was in braids and some of it was in this weird bow thing at the top of her head, making it look like she had bunny ears. She wore a tight violet mini dress with a golden Sabertooth's mark in the bottom right hand corner and a light furry jacket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Well well, if it isn't a little fairy." The woman smirked.

"Minerva." Lucy muttered.

So this was the Minerva I've heard so much about.

"I'm not a fairy," Lucy held up her right hand. "And we're here on business."

Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked at me like she hadn't noticed me standing here this whole time.

"And what business may that be? I don't recall asking help from a weakling like you." She spat causing Lucy to flinch.

"We," I spoke up. "Are here for the job request." I said sternly.

"Ah yes, that old thing. I asked master not to put one up. Considering no one would dare to steal our tooth and panther, but he wouldn't listen." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Stupid old man." She muttered.

_'Someone has an attitude.'_ I thought to myself, mentally scoffing.

"Why do you need someone to guard the Saber's Tooth and the Pink Panther anyway? Aren't you strong enough to do it yourselves?" Lucy asked.

"_You_ of all people shouldn't be talking about strength since you have none. And in answer to your question, all members of the guild are leaving tonight to celebrate since we successfully beat up a weakling guild." Minerva said nonchalantly.

"Including the master, so you see there is no one here to guard out treasures." She flipped her hair, again.

"So um, do we stay here or…?" I haven't been on a job in a while so I wasn't really sure how this works.

"Come back in three hours, we should be leaving around then, but right now I'm getting sick of your idiotic faces, so you can leave my presence." She turned around and walked to the guild's bar.

I slowly walked out of the guild. Deep breaths Astrid, deep breaths, don't lose your cool, deep breaths. I breathed in and out, inhaled and exhaled to calm myself down so I won't go and murder the next person I see.

"You okay Ash? You don't look so good." Lucy asked with a worried face.

I have to admit, I was getting a little lightheaded from all the breathing, but that doesn't count.

"Three weeks, I'm changing our deal to three weeks of ice cream, and it better be worth it." I grumbled.

"I guess it can't be helped. " Lucy sighed. "I'm hungry; I skipped breakfast because you woke me up late."

Did I hear that correctly?

"Excuse me little missy, but you're the one who overslept! Your fault, not mine." I crossed my arms and huffed.

"My _point _is, I'm going to get something to eat. Want to come?" As if on cue, her stomach growled.

"Uh, I think I'll pass." I needed to blow off some steam.

"Whatever, your loss." Lucy skipped to the nearest café.

I made my way to the back of the city where there was a small forest, maybe only one or two acres. I started punching a rock (yes a rock because trees were such big softies) until my knuckles bled. I haven't even spent five minutes with Minerva and I already hated the bitch. She's no better than my uncle or Team Natsu when they left Lucy all alone. I was ready to rip her throat out if I ever saw her again.

After about ten minutes of playing with my 'stress rock' I walked back to the apartment. I actually liked the place; it came with comfy furniture and even had a fireplace! Lucy was already there. She was reading a book and munching on a bagel. Oh god that bagel looked so good right now, my stomach made dying whale noises and Lucy looked up from her book.

"Oh you're here, I figure you'd be hungry so I bought you some ice cream, it's in the freezer if you want it." She looked at my hands. "Whoa what happened to you?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I fell." I shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Uh huh sure, you better get those bandaged up before they get infected." She turned a page.

"Yes mom." I rolled my eyes and opened the freezer door.

I took out what looked like to be a chocolate fudge vanilla swirl. There was whipped cream on it but it had frozen. Eh, whipped cream is whipped cream. I took a spoon out of a drawer and sat down on a plush chair that faced the window. I stared at the fountain below. After I had finished my ice cream I walked towards my bedroom.

"Wake me when it's time." I called out before flopping onto my bed.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Wake me when it's time." Astrid yelled.

"Uh huh." I mumbled reading my book.

It was about this girl named Misa she just moved to a city called Spoona. It was really rainy and gloomy there. Her parents were divorced and she went to go live with her dad, but they didn't talk much. On her first day at her new school she noticed a boy; she learned that his name was Light Yagami. He was anti-social to everyone but he had the highest grades in class. He was also pretty handsome. She got to know him a bit more, and he opened up a bit to her. One day he was about to tell her a big secret.

_"Misa, are you sure you're ready to handle this?" Light turned to face me._

_He was holding something behind his back._

_"I'm not scared." I said confidently, even though I was._

_He pulled out the object from behind his back it was a book, no, a note book. Then I saw what the title said._

_"Death…Note?" I whispered._

**(A/N I kind of merged two stories into that one story, but I don't not own Death Note either. Even though it's pretty awesome:3)**

I shut the book and looked up at the clock on the wall. Time to go, I sighed. I was getting to a good part too! Oh well, better get Astrid.

"Oi! Wake up!" I shoved her. No reply.

"Astrid someone stole our stuff!" I shrieked. Still nothing.

"Oh my gosh all the ice cream has melted!" I yelled in horror.

"What?!" Astrid shot up.

I sweat dropped then started to laugh.

"Finally, you're up. It's been three hours and you told me to wake you up." I reminded her.

"Oooh yeaah." She got up and brushed her hair. "Let's just get this over with already." She groaned, locking the door after I left.

We walked to Sabertooth, it was only about five and the sun was just beginning to set. Thankfully, none of the blood sucking bugs came after us thanks to the anti-mosquito lacrima lampposts. I wonder why Mangolia doesn't have them. We approached the guild and Astrid punched the doors open again, but there was only one person in the room.

He was clearly an old man, but he wasn't small like Fairy Tail's Master. He wore a necklace with huge red beads on them, a red shirt that slanted so that only his left side was covered, beige pants, a black hat, and he had a dark violet, almost black guild mark on his forehead. He looked at us with a menacing glare.

"I assume you are Sabertooth's master?" Astrid boldly asked the man.

"Yes, and you must be the ones who accepted the job request." He led us to the back center of the guild where there were two shiny objects encased in glass.

One of them looked like to be a sapphire but it had many sharp jagged sides and the other looked like an enormous diamond, except it was pink.

"Here are the two treasures I would like you to guard, normally I wouldn't recruit such weaklings, "The master glared at us. "To do the job, but this time I had no choice, but if you destroy anything then…" He took his index finger and made a straight line across his neck. I gulped.

"Got it." We both said.

The master sauntered out the door and slammed it behind him. I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding.

"Sooo, what now?" Astrid plopped herself onto one of the barstools.

"We just guard the two things until someone comes back I guess."

"Well isn't this boring." Astrid sighed.

"That's why I brought a book." I held up the book I was reading earlier.

I skimmed the page I was on until I found the spot where I stopped at.

_"Death…Note?" I whispered._

_"Yes, here touch it." Light handed the book to me._

_As soon as I grasped the notebook, I felt someone watching me, someone other than Light. I looked up and shrieked, falling backwards. I was facing what looked like to be a monster._

_He had yellow eyes and red pupils. Dark lips and razor sharp teeth and hideous black wings that sprouted out from his back. I scrambled to the other side of the wall._

_"Wh-What is that?!" I shouted._

_"His name is Ryuk, he is a Shin-_

I heard a rustling noise coming from the other side of the room. Astrid heard it too. She threw the dagger she was playing with in the direction of the noise. It hit the wall.

"Who goes there?" She demanded.

"Whoa, are you _trying_ to take my head off?" Said an oh-so-familiar voice.

Then a head popped up from where the person was hiding behind the barrels. It was a guy. He had blonde spiky hair, a blue vest with grey fur trimming, a Sabertooth mark on his left shoulder, and a diagonal scar above his right eye.

_'Well, this day just seems to get better and better'_ I thought as I rolled my eyes.

"Sting…" I muttered.

* * *

**Oh hoho looks like the white dragon slayer has stepped into the picture.**

**There have been few requesting a little Sticy, but all I have to say is….**

**May the odds be ever in your favor!**

**I do not own the Hunger Games either.**

**Bye! ~**


	19. The Twin Dragon Slayers

**I'm just going to flat out say it; this is not a Sticy story, well I don't think it is…I have already made plans for Lucy to be with someone else, but it could turn out to be Sticy, like a 25% chance. NO PROMISES! But I put a little Sticy in here for ****_Erza8933_****, ****_CelesticalTitania,_**** and ****_GoldenRoseTanya. _****I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Sabertooth~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

The dude behind the barrels slowly got up and I raised my other dagger, ready to strike.

"Sting…" I heard Lucy mutter.

Sting…Sting…I've heard that name before. Ah! That's right, he too belonged in Sabertooth. He was a white dragon slayer third generation. Whatever that means… All I know is that Natsu beat him and his partner up in the Grand Magic Games.

"What do we have here? A fairy?" Sting scoffed.

"God you sound just like Minerva." I muttered so softly I could barely hear myself.

"What?" Sting looked at me like I just appeared out of thin air, even though I could do that if I wanted to.

"Who the hell are you? And why are you and the fairy here in the first place?" He asked.

"Would you stop calling her a fairy? Because she isn't one!" I lifted up Lucy's right hand to show proof. "And the name is Astrid, nice to meet ya." I said sarcastically.

"Yeah whatever, you never answered my other question, what are you doing here?" He repeated.

"And why do you need to know?" I shot at him.

"Because you're in my guild!" He gestured to the area around him.

Oh yeah, he's got a point. I bit my lip.

"Touché, we are the ones who took the job request of guarding the Tooth and Panther while all of the guild members were out partying. Speaking of which, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with them?!" I asked.

"Oh shit, I fell asleep! Rouge, why didn't you wake me up?!" He shouted.

Is this guy crazy or something? There was no one here but us. I looked around to see if anyone else was here. Nope, it was just me, Luce, and Sting.

"I couldn't help myself." A voice chuckled.

A guy our age stepped out of the shadows and appeared by Sting. He had rather messy black hair that covered his right eye and a long black cape that almost reached his feet, the cape hat a white Sabertooth guild mark by his left shoulder, like Sting's.

"You reaction would be priceless once you found out you missed the biggest party of the year." He said.

"Curse you Rogue, but you're missing the party too!" Sting growled.

"Parties are too loud for my liking." Rogue shrugged.

"Sorry to interrupt," I interrupted.

"But, if you guys are here, why do we have to guard this thing?" Lucy finished.

"Huh? Oh, those old things? We wouldn't have a care in the world if someone took 'em." Sting scoffed.

"So, we can go now?" Lucy pointed to the door.

"Nah, I think Minerva or Master would beat you up for it." Sting walked over and sat next to Lucy.

"So ex-fairy, or should I call you Blondie? So Blondie what are you reading there?" Sting hovered over Lucy's shoulders.

"Stop calling me blondie! You're blonde too! And none of your business!" Lucy huffed and turned away.

"Feisty one aren't you?" Sting chuckled, moving closer to Lucy's side.

I swear I'm going to rip his head off. But before I could, the guild doors burst open.

"Ugh, what now?" I murmured.

"Sting-kun! Sting-kun! Look at all the fish I caught!" Said a voice.

A maroon colored cat with pure white angel wings flew in with a bundle of fish in its small arms. Following the flying cat was another one, except it was green in a pink frog suit with black spots.

"Rogue-kun! Lector stole all of Frosch's fish!" The cat thing was crying.

The tears must have blurred his vision and mistook me for Rogue because next thing I knew, the cat thing flew straight into my chest at full speed, knocking my breath out of me.

"Oof!" I fell backwards onto my butt. "What the hell cat?"

"Eh? You're not Rogue-kun!" The cat thing flew away from me and towards Rogue.

"Rogue-kun!" He flew into Rogues chest.

I was just staring at the thing. I've heard of flying cats before. I can recall Lucy telling me that the idiot Natsu has a blue flying cat, Happy? I think the breed was called an Exceed? Oh yeah, all dragon slayers I know own exceeds.

"Oi, it's impolite to stare." Rogue said to me.

"Tch, you're one to talk, you were watching us the whole time you were hiding in the shadows!" I retorted.

"Touché, Astrid was it?" He asked.

"Nice to meet you…Rogue." I leaned onto the pillar next to him.

"How long do you think they're going to keep arguing?" I watched the two blonde's bicker.

"Who knows?" Rogue shrugged and patted the Exceed on his head.

I noticed his eyes were ruby red.

"What's this little guy's name?" I was curious.

"Frosch."

"If you have an Exceed, then you must be a dragon slayer, what type?" I asked.

"Shadow." He answered. "What about your magic?"

"Teleportation, but I'm a hell of a good combat fighter and good aim with this." I held up my dagger.

"Nice."

Frosch walked over and sat on my lap, not knowing what else to do, I started to pet the feline. He purred, I giggled.

Why the hell did I just giggle? Sure the little guy is a cutie, but it's just a freaking cat! And why was I telling this Rogue dude my skills? Well yeah, he was comfortable to be around…Stop it Ash! Stop thinking like that!

I could feel a light blush taint my cheeks.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I looked over to where Astrid and Rogue were. Well, don't they seem to be getting along? And is that I blush I see? Astrid doesn't blush! I'll have to talk to her about that later.

"Why did you leave Fairy Tail Anyways? You seemed pretty happy with them." Sting asked the forbidden questioned.

"None of your business." I gulped.

"Looks like I hit a soft spot, tell me why." Sting smirked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because.

"Because isn't an answer." Sting scoffed.

_"Fine."_ I huffed. "To make a long story short, things came up and I felt like leaving, there happy?" I continued to read my book.

Sing took the book out of my hands, shut it, causing me too lose my page. I tried to grab it, but he just held it out of my reach.

"I am not satisfied with hat answer, full story, now." He demanded.

I groaned, I guess I didn't have a choice if I wanted to find out what happens to Misa. I began telling the story where Lisanna had come back from Edolas. I started to tear up at some parts and Sting interrupted often throughout the story, but by the time I was nearing the end he had become silent.

"…Then we came to Clementine looking for a job, and here we are now." I sighed.

"What's wrong with those people?!" He exclaimed after a long period of silence. "I wouldn't have that happen to me because our guild members are already mean, but I would never leave Lector behind!"

"You know what? It's good that you left the fairies because they don't deserve someone as good as you!" He cut himself off before he could say anymore.

"W-What?" I asked, shocked.

"N-Nothing." He looked away; his face was a light shade of pink.

Seeing him blush made me blush and because of what he had said. I quickly turned away to hide my red face. I heard someone snicker and looked up to see Astrid trying to hide a smirk. I glared at her and then looked at Rogue. I looked at them back and forth, when Astrid got what I was trying to tell her she blushed again. I mentally chuckled.

"Hey Blondie," Sting tapped my shoulder and I turned around. "You shouldn't be upset, like I said before; those fairies don't deserve someone like you." And then he pulled me into a hug.

He hugged me. I was hugging him back. I was hugging Sting. Sting was hugging me. We were hugging. I was hugging someone from Sabertooth. Is this some kind of dream? He started to pull back, but then I held him tighter. I didn't want him to see my now tomato colored face. But then I realized what I just did and immediately let go. We were both red.

"I…um…th-thanks I guess…" I mumbled.

"N-No problem, anytime." He looked down.

"Should we leave you two love birds alone?" Astrid walked up to me and smirked.

"Sh-Shut up!" I punched her in the gut.

But she didn't punch back because the look on my face was good enough for her. Then the doors opened and some people came in.

"Would you look at the time, it's almost ten! Time sure flies fast when you're with you boyfriend doesn't it Luce?" Astrid grinned.

"He's not my boyfriend! Let's just go already, we'll pick up the reward tomorrow. Bye Sting, Rogue." I took Astrid's arm and got out as soon as I could.

Halfway back to the apartment I had finally gotten my face back to its usual color.

"So, Ash," I had an evil grin on my face. "What's up with you and Rogue?"

"Ugh," She slumped. "I knew you were going to ask that."

"Is that a blush I see?" I gasped.

"Wh-What?!_ No_! You're just imagining things again!" She looked away.

"Yeah, _suuure_ I was." I smiled.

* * *

**And there you have it!**

**Like I said, there's a high chance of this not being a Sticy!**

**Review on this Sticy chapter please!**

**Bye! ~**


	20. Elizabeth

**Ok guys, my mind is being torn apart for weather making this a Sticy or not. Right now, there is a possibility of a NaLu, Sticy, or LucyxOC. But like I said before, the chances of the story becoming a Sticy is still 25%. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Sabertooth~_**

**_~Sting's POV~_**

"You liiiiiike her." Lector flew towards me.

"No I don't!" I denied.

"You sure about that? You guys seemed to be getting along pretty well." Rogue smirked.

I felt heat rush to my face.

"Oh yeah? What about you and that Astrid chick?" I retorted.

"Th-That's none of your business!" He turned around.

"Frosch likes Astrid, she's nice." Frosch flew into Rogues lap.

"I guess I like Lucy, as a _friend_." I glared at Rogue who was trying to hide his smirk.

* * *

**_~Apartment~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy flopped down onto the couch and I did the same.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted." Lucy sighed.

"Yeah, you must have been blushing so much that it drained all of your energy." I snickered.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I. Do. Not. Like. Sting! We're just _friends_." Lucy stated.

"You sure about that?" I grinned.

"Yes! But I'm sure you and Rogue have a thing going on." Lucy had a mischievous smile on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I looked away.

"You guys would make a really cute couple!" Lucy went on. "I mean, you both wear black, you don't usually talk much, except to me, you both have a dark mysterious past, and you-" I cut her off before she could say anything embarrassing.

"We are not an item!" I shouted.

"I never said you were, you just walked straight into a trap." Lucy smirked. "I can already see it; Astrid is a stay at home mom with a little Astrid and a little Rogue running around and a little kitty cat named Frosh playing with a ball of yarn. Rogue goes on dangerous missions and when he comes home you give him a big-" I shot up and ran to my room.

"Shut up, shut up shut up!" I shrieked and slammed the door behind me.

I could feel my face burning and I could hear Lucy laughing till her hearts content. After a few minutes the laughter died out and I was able to fall into a blissful sleep.

I woke a little after eight, brushed my teeth and looked through the freezer to see if we had any ice cream yet. Nope, none. I groaned and shut the door. I grabbed a granola bar that was sitting on the counter and sat on the couch. Nibbling on my breakfast, I noticed a book sitting on the coffee table. Huh, Death Note. Oh yeah, this is the book Lucy was reading yesterday. I flipped it open to a random page and started to read.

* * *

_When Light got home he quickly got into his room and opened the notebook. On the first page there were rules for how to use it._

**_-The human whose name is written in this note will die._**

**_-This note won't take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. _**

**_-If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen._**

**_-If the cause of death is not specific, the person will die of a heart attack._**

**_-After writing the cause of death, details should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds._**

* * *

**(A/N Once again, I don't own Death Note)**

I quickly shut the book after I read that. Geez, I know Lucy likes to read different genres, but isn't this a bit…dark for her? I threw the book back onto the table, not wanting anything to do with it because for all I knew, it could be cursed or something.

I noticed Lucy walk out of the bathroom.

"Oh you're up." I said before taking another bite.

"Yeah, did you sleep well?" She asked as she searched the fridge.

"Yep."

"Did you have any dreams of Rogue?" She smirked, pulling out a container of orange juice.

"Wh-What? No way!" I quickly denied.

That was a lie actually. Although it's a bit fuzzy, I think I can recall my dreams centering a certain dragon slayer, but I would never tell Lucy that.

"How about you? Any dreams of Sting?" I asked.

"Why on earth would I have such a nightmare?" Lucy almost spat out her drink.

"Eh, who knows?" I shrugged.

"Were you reading my book?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, taking another sip.

"Huh? Oh, nope." I looked at the book that was lying face up, the title haunting me.

"You sure about that? I could have sworn it was on the other side of the table…" She murmured.

"What about my ice cream?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Well, the mission isn't technically done until we get paid so…" Lucy pondered the thought.

"Ugh, you're just coming up with excuses." I grunted.

"No I'm not!" She denied.

"Are too." I nodded.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Whatever, can we go already?" She finished her drink.

"Eager to see your boyfriend I see." I smirked.

"I told you I only like him as a _friend_!" She shrieked.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." I got up from the couch and grabbed my bag. "Let's go."

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We were walking on the streets of Clementine when my stomach made a dying whale noise.

"Now can we get ice cream?" Astrid asked, knowing I was too hungry to argue.

"Fine." I slumped and entered the ice cream store nearby while Astrid waited outside.

The place was packed with people of all ages. I groaned when I noticed the long line. I looked at all the different ice cream flavors they had. I can see why this place is so popular, they had over one hundred flavors and dishes. Half an hour later I was finally at the front of the line.

"I'll have a strawberry supreme with frozen strawberry bits, raspberry syrup, rainbow sprinkles, topped with vanilla and hot fudge and a strawberry vanilla swirl with gummy bears. To go please." I took a breath.

"Your order will be ready momentarily, please wait there." The woman that the front of the counter gestured to the booths by the window.

I walked over only to find all of the seats packed, except for one booth at the very end. It was occupied by a girl.

She looked to be about eleven or twelve with wavy violet hair in two high pigtails, but her hair still reached her waist. Her bangs were brushed to the side, almost covering her right eye. She had emerald green eyes and a green plaid dress that ended just above her knees. I could see she had flats the same color as her hair with a cute little bow on each one.

"Um, excuse me but can I sit with you? I'm waiting to get my ice cream." I walked up to her.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." She moved over so I could have some room.

I sat down and looked at the the chocolate parfait she was eating. After a few moments, I decided to break the awkward silence.

"What your name?" I looked at her, hoping for a response.

"E-Elizabeth." She looked down at her ice cream.

"Hi Elizabeth! I'm Lucy." I smiled brightly.

"Yeah…" She took another bite.

_'Well, isn't she a chatterbox?'_ I thought to myself. Is it me or does she look a little…sad?

"Are you the one who asked for the strawberry supreme with frozen strawberry bits, raspberry syrup, rainbow sprinkles, topped with vanilla covered in hot fudge and the strawberry vanilla swirl with gummy bears?" The waitress was holding the two cones on a platter.

"Um yeah, thanks." I took the two cones and set them down on the table.

"Whoa, you're going to eat all that?!" Elizabeth stared at me wide eyed.

"No way, it's for a friend." I grinned.

"That would be 2500 jewels please." The waitress held out her hand.

"Oh, r-right! I reached into my pocked for the money but came up short 500 jewels. "Um, can I go out real quick and get some more? I have a friend waiting." I explained.

"Hurry up then, I don't have all day now." The waitress tapped her foot impatiently.

"Got it." I dashed out of the doors and saw Astrid lying on a bench.

"Ugh, it's about time. I was dying out here!" She got up and groaned. "Wheres the ice cream?!" She screamed.

"Sheesh let me talk first. I need 500 more jewels."

"Fine, here." She reached into her bags and pulled out some more.

I dashed back into the store and toward the table where the waitress was waiting.

"Here." I handed her the rest of the money.

"Thanks." She snatched the money away and grumpily walked back to the counter.

"Someone has an attitude." I muttered, Elizabeth giggled.

I took the two cones and got up.

"By Elizabeth, hope to see you soon." I smiled when she waved goodbye.

"Here you go Ash, eat up." I said when I approached the hungry girl.

She happily accepted it and ate almost half in less than five minutes. I stared at her amazed.

"Ice cream is hardly a healthy breakfast." I commented.

"Uh yeah it is, do you not see the strawberry bits?" She stuck out her tongue.

"How is it that you don't get brain freeze?" I asked.

"It's a skill that I've learned to master." She simply replied.

She was finishing off her cone as we approached Sabertooth. After she had licked her lips free of any hot fudge syrup she opened the doors as she normally did, by punching. I sweat dropped. All heads turned toward us again. I noticed Sting look at me and I blushed and looked back at my ice cream which I had not yet finished eating.

"What is it now you brats?" Minerva scowled.

"We're here for our payment." Astrid cocked her head to the side.

"Tch, here." She handed us our reward.

"Now, get lost you scum." She sneered.

I just rolled my eyes, tired of her lame insults and pulled Astrid out of the guild before she could start a fight.

"Don't forget, when we get back to the apartment we're splitting the jewels. I don't know why you always get to carry them." I huffed.

"That's because you have nothing to carry them in!" Astrid said.

"Then I'll buy a purse." I mumbled.

We heard a few cracks of lightning and it began to rain.

"Great." Astrid muttered as we dashed back toward our apartment.

We were almost there when something or rather _someone_ caught my eye. I saw Elizabeth sitting on a curb crying her eyes out. Not caring that her clothes were getting soaked by the rain. I ran over towards her.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" Astrid called out.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked the girl, ignoring Astrid's question.

"L-Lucy?" Elizabeth looked up.

"You okay?" I repeated.

"Does it _look_ like I'm okay?"

"Oh, guess you're right. C'mon, let's go to my apartment; don't want you catching a cold now do we?" I helped her up.

"Y-Yeah." She stood.

Astrid was just scowling at me and gave me a look that said _'You better tell me what's going on later'_. I shivered under her glare and the three of us ran back to the apartment.

* * *

**So yeah, that's the end of that chapter!**

**Let me just get in a few more chapters before you all mob me with '****_STICY! STICY!'_**** or ****_'NALUUUU!_****' 'Kay?**

**Review or I will take my Death Note and…you know the rest!**

**Bye! ~**


	21. Arguments

**There have been MORE NaLu and Sticy requests despite what I had said in the previous chapter, stubborn people you are. Apparently you guys can't wait a few chapters *sweat drop* Lucky for me and too bad for you, there won't be any NaLu ****or**** Sticy in this chapter. Mwahahahahaaa! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Apartment~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

After we had gotten in the apartment, we dried ourselves off. Lucy was currently taking a shower. And I was here, in the mini-living room. Sitting on the couch, across from some random girl that Lucy decided to bring in.

I stared at her.

She stared at me

She had rather long dark purple hair, a plaid green dress and violet flats with bows on them. Her piercing green eyes seemed to look through my soul, knowing my every secret. Well, if looks could kill, this little brat would be dead by now because of the icy glare my stormy grey eyes gave her.

Honestly, I don't like her one bit. I have no reason why Luce would take the brat under her wing. And I could tell Lucy didn't want to face me because it was taking her twice as long to take a shower than it normally did.

"So," The little girl smirked. "You're the one that ordered enough ice cream to make you fat."

"Says the girl who lives on the streets!" I retorted.

"At least I have a good sense of fashion!" She pointed at my leather jacket.

"Who wears a dress like that in the rain?!" I yelled.

"It's not like I knew it was going to rain!" She yelled back.

Just then Lucy came out of the bathroom wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, comfy.

"Is there something going on here?" Lucy raised an eye brow.

"Nothing Lucy-san. I was just a bit sad that's all." The little brat rubbed her eyes like she was crying or something.

"Tch, as if." I snorted.

Lucy looked at me confused but just shrugged it off.

"So what were you guys talking about?" She sat down next to me.

"Oh nothing, just about how great the weather is." I shrugged.

"You do remember that it's raining right?" Lucy looked at me.

"Oh yeah, this girl here was just telling me how she loves to get her dresses all dirty by playing in the rain and mud." I smirked.

"Lucy-san! She's lying!" The girl said in an innocent voice.

"I know Elizabeth, Astrid normally does." Lucy went over and sat next to, Elizabeth was it?

"_Excuse_ me?" I gasped at her betrayal.

"I'm just joking." Lucy chuckled.

"Uh huh, sure you were." I glared at Elizabeth.

"Anyway," Lucy huffed. "What were you doing out in the rain alone?" She asked Elizabeth, concerned.

"Well _*sniff*_ I escaped from _*sniff*_ a dark guild's _*sniff*_ orphanage last week, but _*sniff*_ my oniisan is still _*sniff*_ there." (Oniisan = Big brother)

Boy can this girl act.

"Calm down Elizabeth. Can I call you Lizzy?" Lucy asked.

"N-No, only my oniisan can c-call me *sniff* that." Elizabeth had tears rolling down her eyes.

The hell? She was in full on argument mode just a few moments ago! Where did this innocent little girl come from?! Does she have a split personality?

"Okay then, how about Liz?" Lucy asked the girl again.

"O-Okay…" 'Liz' rubbed her eyes again and dried her tears.

"Now Liz, tell me the full story."

I slouched in my seat, this is going to take a while, I'm sure of it.

"When I was four my home was burnt down and my parents were killed." She said after a deep breath.

Huh, looks like I have a connection with her.

"Me and my brother ran off, he was almost ten at the time. But a few days later we were captured by a dark guild and were put in their orphanage. We were there for eight years. One day I found a small hole in the lower basement. I managed to squeeze through and escape, but my brother was left behind! I left my own brother behind!" Liz sobbed.

"Shhh, it's okay it's okay. We'll help you get your brother back.

"Yeah Liz, we'll help you-wait. _WHAT?!"_ I looked at Lucy incredulously. "Now why on Earthland would we do that?!" I half shrieked.

"Well why not? We can't just say 'too bad'." Lucy said.

"Ugh fine." I gave up, knowing there was no way for me to win the argument. "What kind of messed up guild captures innocent, well not always innocent, children and puts them in an orphanage?"

"The guild is called Satan's Belly, they capture children when they're young, and at the age of eighteen, they poison them so that they become evil and gain evil powers and stuff." Liz shrugged. "This is why I fear for my brother too, his birthday is only a few months away until he is eighteen!" Liz whined.

"Okay we get it. We'll rescue your oniisan in less than a week and you'll be outta my hair by then hopefully." I sighed. "But, you're sleeping in Lucy's room! Not mine!" I grumbled as I sulked into my room.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I watched Astrid grumble something about Liz sleeping in my room before she shut her door. What's up with her? I looked out the window and saw that the rain had stopped.

"I'm going to go out for a bit and buy you some new clothes, the ones you're wearing are a bit dirty now, and you'll need more than one dress." I grabbed Astrid's bag and left.

I inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of the fresh rain and made my way to the café, because ice cream is not a good breakfast.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I had taken Lucy's book with me when I made my way to my room, seeing that I had nothing else to do while avoiding Liz. I opened up to a page a little close to the middle. I don't know how Lucy could read this kind of stuff, killing people with a notebook? So unrealistic. **(A/N I do not own Death Note)**

I tossed the book on my bed when I heard someone leave the apartment. Heh, maybe Luce kicked Elizabeth out, it's about time. I opened my door with a grin on my face.

"Hey Lucy, later on you want to go get some more ice cream? We're all out, can we get th-" My grin fell when I saw who was lounging on the couch. "What are you still doing here?" I glared at the violet haired girl.

"What's it to you? _Fattie_." She sneered.

"Excuse me?" I took a step back.

"Yes, you are excused." Liz waved her hand goodbye.

"What's up with you? Why do you hate me so much?" I asked, angrily.

"Who said I hated you? You're just jumping to conclusions." Liz shrugged.

"Am not, why else would you call me a fattie unless you hated me." I said.

"Well, maybe because you ordered the strawberry supreme with frozen strawberry bits, raspberry syrup, rainbow sprinkles, topped with vanilla and hot fudge. Talk about unhealthy." Liz rolled her eyes.

"How do you even know that? You a stalker?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, I noticed it when Lucy's order came since she sat next to me."

"And _why_ would she sit next to you?" I questioned.

"Because I'm a sweet little girl that seems lonely." She smirked.

"As if." I scoffed. "So why are you still here?"

"I don't know, maybe because I live here?" She said.

"No, you don't. I do." I looked at her.

"Uh yeah I do. You said it yourself. It will take you about a week, so I'm staying here for a week." Liz shrugged.

"That's not what I meant! Don't you have any jewels to buy your own apartment?" I asked.

"I'm only twelve of course I don't!" She denied.

"When I was twelve I was living in Mt. Hakobe, and you're freeloading off of strangers!" I shrieked.

"That's probably because you've had experience, like with your parents! I barley have any memory of mine because of that stupid fire!" She spat. "You're just some stupid, rich, spoiled brat that eats ice cream for a living!" She had tears streaming down her face.

I, for one, was speechless.

"You think, you're the only one, whose home was burned down in a fire? At least you weren't chased down your whole life! At least you had a brother to keep you company the whole time! I was all alone until I found Lucy, and that was only a few months ago!" I shrieked.

I was tearing up too.

"Huh, _*sniff*_ I guess we do have something _*sniff*_ in common." Liz wiped her tears.

"Yeah, but were nothing alike." I argued.

"Agreed." She nodded

After we had our little conversation, we went back to arguing for who knows how long. At this time Lucy came in carrying bundles of shopping bags.

"Sorry I'm a bit late. I got you some new clothes for Liz, and I also brought some lunch. You guys must me hungry." She huffed.

"No I'm no-" I was cut off my own stomach growling.

"Hehe, looks like fattie can't get enough food." Liz giggled.

"Shut up you little brat." I glared.

"Guys…" Lucy gave a warning glare.

"Fine." I growled. "Alright, where's the food?" I sighed.

"In the brown bag over there." She pointed over to the counter.

"Ooh look a chocolate parfait." I grinned.

"That's for after lunch, but whatever." Lucy grunted.

"Hey! That's my ice cream!" Liz shrieked.

"Since when?" I glared at her.

"Since I said so." She held her head up high.

"Well too bad." I licked the chocolate treat.

"Lucy-san! Astrid took my ice cream!" Liz whined.

"Okay, I'll get you another one. Astrid, Apologize." Lucy looked at me.

"What?! No way!"

"Do it."

"No."

"_Do it."_

_"NO."_

* * *

**Heh, looks like Astrid and Liz don't get along too well now do they?**

**I guess at one point of the story there will be another Sticy, maybe…**

**Review or I will get my good friend Acnologia and…**

**Bye! ~**


	22. To Scion

**When I began this story, I never planned on making this a Sticy, let alone put Sting in it. Soo maybe they should just be friends? Or not….it depends. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~4 Day Timeskip!~_**

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

For the past four days the trio of girls prepared themselves to sneak into the dark guild, rescue Elizabeth's brother and hopefully all the other children. They went to the library and found blueprints of the guild; surprising to actually find some. And they came up with a plan.

Lucy and Liz would pose as orphans and be accepted into the orphanage, while Astrid would wait in the back of the guild where the small opening was and blow it up with the makeshift bomb she made when Lucy gives the signal.

"So, tomorrow is the big day huh?" Lucy took a sip of her latte.

They were in a café enjoying themselves because who knows what will happen in the next twenty four hours?

"Yep, and then I get to be free of this brat." Astrid licked her ice cream.

"And I get to be with my oniisan again!" Liz smiled.

"And I get to go back to training, yay." Lucy sighed.

"What so bad about training?" Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all I love training." Lucy quivered under Astrid's glare.

"I'm going to miss you Lucy-chan!" Liz hugged Lucy's waist.

"And I am so not going to miss you." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Wait, how am I supposed to know what your brother looks like?" Lucy let go of Liz.

"Easy, he looks like this."

Liz morphed, yes, she _morphed_ into a _guy._ The guy she morphed into had the same green eyes as Liz. He had fiery red hair and he wore an old red T-shirt and tattered jeans. He had a toothy grin that reminded Lucy of Natsu.

"Yeah, so this is what he looks like." He said.

Lucy and Astrid were just staring at the guy with their mouth hung open.

"Um…Liz?" Lucy cautiously asked.

"Yeah?" The guy looked at her.

"What happened to your face? And body…"

"Oh, whoops. Guess I forgot to tell you guys. I'm a shapeshifter!" And with that, Liz morphed back.

"A sh-shapeshifter?" Astrid gaped.

"Yes, a shapeshifter. Do I have to say it again for it to get through your thick skull?" Liz asked.

"Don't you think you should have told us this before?" Astrid asked, ignoring Liz's comment.

"Uh, like I said, I forgot." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Since you're a shapeshifter, how do we know that this is the real you?" Astrid smirked. "You could be fat for all we know."

"Did you not see my brother's eyes? They were green like mine, because this is my true form."

"So, there are a ton of people with green eyes! You could change the color of your eyes for all we know, same with your hair! No wonder the color is so unnatural."

"For your information, this is my true hair and eye color. I'm not some fake." Liz spat.

"Oh suuure." Astrid shrugged.

"Don't believe me? You can ask my brother once we get him."

Lucy sweat dropped at the two and took another sip of her latte.

"Since when were you a shapeshifter?" Lucy asked, licking her lips free of whipped cream.

"Uh, I was kind of born with it. It's a type of lost magic that you can learn, but you have to be born with some of shape shifting magic inside of you." Liz explained.

"That sounds kind of gross…" Astrid licked her ice cream.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't see you with any magic." Liz smirked. "Lucy and I are the only ones that are mages so I suggest you to be quiet okay?"

"Heh, you have no idea who you are talking to. Who do you think made Lucy stronger?" Astrid glared at the little girl.

"You but-"

"Yeah, and we both know that Lucy can kick your ass, so don't go talking about who has magic or whatnot because I could be your worst nightmare if I felt like it." Astrid sneered. "Ooh look! Pie." Astrid drooled at the sight of the cherry pie that the waitress brought over.

"Well, isn't that a change of mood." Lucy mumbled, sweat dropping some more.

"So _*mmph*_ since this guild is in Scion, which is two cities away _*mmph* _we'll take a train there tonight_*mmph*_ and arrive there tomorrow in the evening." Astrid said.

"Ew Ash, stop talking while you eat." Lucy looked away.

"What was _*mmph*_ that?" Astrid talked and ate some more.

"Ugh, nevermind."

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

It's been a little over a week since the encounter with Lucy and Astrid. Team Natsu had gone on a few missions, but Lisanna had decided to step out of the team and work with Mira, seeing that she was a little rusty when it comes to missions.

Everyone seemed to turn back to normal when they heard that Lucy had forgiven them. Erza was overjoyed when a supply of strawberry cakes were sent to her by a mysterious person that goes by the name 'J'. Gray decided to give Juvia a chance like Lucy had said in her letter, and so far it was going pretty good. Natsu would hang out with Happy more often and go fishing, but occasionally he would think of how he kissed Lucy on the forehead. _'I kissed Luce…I kissed Luce…'_ That sentence would run through his mind.

"…stu! Natsu!" Happy flew in front of Natsu.

"Oi! Flamebrain!" Gray snapped his fingers.

"Who you calling a flamebrain you ice prick?!" Natsu snapped out of his thoughts.

"We're going on another job! Now are you stop day dreaming Lucy and come with us?" Gray smirked.

"I-I wasn't day dreaming about Luce!" Natsu protested.

"Sure you weren't, Erza is waiting and you know she hates it when we're late." Gray shivered, ironic since he is an ice mage.

"Huh, race you to the train station! I'm going to beat you ice princess!" Natsu grinned and sprinted off.

Minutes later the two mages have the train station in sight.

"Almost…there." Gray huffed.

"Going to…beat…you." Natsu smirked.

"Where have you two been?!" A voice shouted causing the two boys to stop.

"E-Erza…" Natsu quivered.

"You were supposed to be here thirty seconds ago!" The red head exclaimed.

"Eheh, thirty seconds isn't much…" Gray sweat dropped.

"Oi Erza, what's this mission anyways?" Natsu asked, changing the subject.

"To let out a bunch of kidnapped orphans in the dark guild Satan's Belly in the city Scion." Erza read off the job description. "The train ride will be about three days' time."

"So we get to bust the kids out by destroying stuff?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Yeah, something like that." Erza shrugged.

"Well then what are we waiting for!" Natsu jumped on the train and then fell to the floor, his face green.

"Why do you have motion sickness already? The train isn't even moving." Gray sweat dropped.

* * *

**I've noticed that some of you don't like Liz, and others think she's awesome. Then there are the people who like to play Mira the matchmaker with Lucy…**

**So yeah, review, review, review…Sticy? NaLu? Sticy? NaLu? I feel so powerful being able to control the outcome, yet pressured at the same time…**

**Bye! ~**


	23. Satan's Belly

**_WHAT IF_****, just what if I made it a Sticy? What would all you NaLu lovers do? And what if I made it a NaLu? I wonder how you Sticy people would react. I'm just saying...that I don't own Fairy Tail :3**

* * *

**_~Scion~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

_*The train will approach Scion in five more minutes*_

The announcer went off, waking both Lucy and Liz up. I checked my bag to see if the bomb I had made myself was still in there. Yep, good and ready to go. I sighed and daydreamed fantasies of my life without Liz and before I knew it the train had stopped.

"What are you waiting for fattie? Let's go." Liz snapped her fingers.

"Would you stop calling me fattie?!" I growled.

"Well it's true!" She argued.

"Is not!"

"It too, see?" Liz morphed into me and poked her/my stomach and arms. "Fat, fat, fat."

"That is not fat! It's muscle!" I counter argued.

"Oh _sure_ it is." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Uh, guys…" Lucy sweat dropped, she was already outside of the train.

"Sorry Lucy-chan, fattie here was slowing me down." Liz morphed back into her old self and grinned hopping off.

"Oh I can't wait to get rid of you." I grumbled, hoisting my bag on my shoulder.

We walked throughout Scion. It was a little run down, bankrupt shops, deserted playgrounds, and worst of all, not a single ice cream store. There weren't any anti-mosquito lacrima lamps either.

"So, where exactly is Satan's Belly?" I sighed.

"Um, I think we make a left here, or was it a right? Sorry I can't remember…" Liz mumbled.

"What do you mean you can't remember?! I knew we should have brought the map…" I groaned.

"Ooh! I remember that fountain!" Liz exclaimed.

She ran towards the fountain that was no longer spewing water, and it had mold growing inside.

"Um…Liz I don't think you should touch it…" I sweat dropped.

"I never said I was going to_, stupid_." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Fine, last time I try to do something nice for you..." I muttered, kicking the stones under my feet.

"What I was _saying _is, I remember this fountain. Satan's Belly should only be a few blocks away." Liz huffed and pointed west.

Five minutes of arguing later we found ourselves standing in front of a rundown building what looked like a large shack.

"Um, Liz? What are we doing here?" Lucy asked.

"This is it. This is Satan's Belly." She glanced at the structure.

"Are you sure that you don't need glasses or something because this isn't a guild." I gestured at the boarded up windows.

"The guild's appearance is shielded by magic; you'll see its true form once you step inside." Liz explained to us.

"Lucy can go inside and do her thing while Liz shows me where her little escape tunnel is." I huffed.

"Ok…see you later I guess." Lucy said nervously.

"Good Luck." I whispered and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." She smiled shakily and opened the mangled door.

"Let's get this over with." I grumbled, walking to the back.

"Do you see that little opening there?" Liz pointed to an air duct vent.

"How the hell did you fit through there?! You must have been the size of a bunny!" I exclaimed.

"It was only a week and a half ago, I don't think I would be able to grow that fast…" Liz sighed.

"Yeah whatever." I crouched down and placed the bomb in the vent.

"Nice knowing you kiddo." I sarcastically saluted as she glared at me and left.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Ok…see you later I guess." I said.

"Good Luck." I heard Ash whisper.

"Thanks." I answered gratefully.

I took a deep breath and entered the old building. At first I thought I had fainted, because everything went black. But then little things started to appear in front of me. A table here, a barrel there. And soon enough, I was in a guild a tad bit smaller than Fairy Tail, surrounded by people.

They all had evil grins on their faces, and I gulped.

"What are you doing here little missy?" A big oaf asked.

His breath smelled of beer and cigarettes.

"Um, I was playing hide 'n seek with my little sister, and I can't seem to find here anywhere." I squeaked. "Have you seen her? She had long purple hair and green eyes."

"We haven't had any children come in here in ages little missy," A woman sneered. "But you can join some of the ones we picked up.

"Huh?" That was the last this I said before I felt something go over my mouth, and then everything went black.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_ ~Normal POV~_**

_*The train will approach Clementine in five more minutes*_

The announcer went off. Natsu awoke from his restless slumber and moaned.

"Can we take a quick stop at Clementine? I don't think I can take much more of this."

"You can wait a little longer, were only two cities away." Gray chuckled.

"No, I agree with Natsu." Erza said.

"What? Why?" Gray looked at her.

"Because I just at the last of my strawberry cake!" She wailed.

Gray sweat dropped and they got off at the Clementine.

"AhHAHAHA! I love land!" Natsu kissed the ground.

"And I love cake!" Erza took a bite of strawberry cake.

"Where did you get the cake?" Gray asked.

"I bought it." She replied.

"When?" He questioned.

"I don't know, and Gray, you clothes."

"Gah!" Gray frantically searched for his clothing.

After Natsu had gotten over the fact that he was on land he caught the familiar scent of strawberries and vanilla, but that was because that was the flavor of cake Erza was eating. That's what he thought at first, but then he caught a whiff of cinnamon and mints.

"Oi! Erza, stripper!" Natsu laughed when Gray actually responded to the name 'stripper'.

"What is it flamebrain?" Gray pulled on a shirt.

"I think Luce and Astrid are here I can smell them."

"Well, we aren't going to go look for them; there is no reason to remember?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I still want to see Luce though." Natsu huffed and crossed his arms like a child.

"I'm going to get some ice cream." Gray walked off.

"I'm not going with that ice freak so see you later." Natsu walked in the opposite direction.

Erza grabbed Natsu's scarf and pulled him towards the ice cream store.

"We're sticking together, like a team should be." She said, dragging the poor dragon slayer.

Erza had a strawberry cake flavored ice cream, Gray ordered a minty breeze, and Natsu had an ice cream sundae with a jalapeño on top. After they had their fill, Erza wanted to take a walk. Seeing that they didn't have a choice, Gray and Natsu followed.

"What was that for?!" The pinkhead yelled.

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything!" The Gray said as he unconsciously took off his shirt.

"Shh! Erza is turning around! Act natural!" Natsu hissed.

When Erza looked back she saw Natsu leaning against a tree and Gray putting on a shirt. _'Good, they're behaving.'_ She thought.

"Oi! I smell Luce again! It's coming from over there!" Natsu jumped up and pointed to a cluster of apartments.

"You think she might be living here?" Gray asked.

"We should leave her alone, she might be busy." Erza concluded.

"But I miss Luce! And I want to fight Astrid!" Natsu whined.

"I guess I miss Lucy too. Ok then Natsu, show us the way." Erza sighed.

Natsu sniffed around like a dog until they ended up at a pale crème colored door. Erza knocked on the door. No answer.

"Luuuuce!" Natsu called. Still nothing. "I knew I should have gone through the window!" He exclaimed.

Erza ended up having to kick the door down, planning on paying for it later. They roamed the apartment.

"Looks like she isn't here." Gray opened the freezer to find it stocked full of ice cream, mainly strawberry flavored.

Erza snooped around the bedrooms. There were two of them, but it seemed to look like three people were living here.

"Do you smell that?" Natsu was looking in the pantry.

"Not everyone has your freakish nose Natsu." Gray sighed.

"I smell strawberries if that's what you're talking about." Erza said as she popped some strawberries in her mouth that she found in the fridge.

"I'm talking about the smell of another person." Natsu sniffed the furniture.

"What, is it a guy's scent?" Gray looked through one of Lucy's books.

"Hell no, I would never let Lucy live with a guy." Natsu growled. "Smells like cherry blossoms and peaches."

"Hey look at this." Erza picked up a map that was folded on the coffee table. "Oh my god." Erza studied the map intensely.

"What is it?" Gray walked over to see what it was.

"Oi, I want to know what's so special." Natsu looked over her shoulder.

After a few moments of observing the map and what was written on it, the three mages burst out of the apartment as fast as they could and ran towards the train station. Leaving a map with writing on it. There was a building circled on the map, and an arrow pointed to it with some words. Words that said, _'Satan's Belly, here we come!'_

* * *

**_~Satan's Belly~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I took a deep breath and opened the doors to the place I spent eight years of my life in.

"Um, excuse me, but have you seen my sister? We were playing hide 'n seek and then I got lost. She had blonde hair and brown eyes." I said.

"Well well, two girlies in one day!" A woman who I remembered sneered.

"Oy! Ron, bring some of that stuff over! We've got ano- wait a minute, yer that girlie who escaped not too long ago! Come crawlin' back are ye?" The woman cackled.

"We'll have to teach this one a little lesson before she gets to join the others don't you say?" Said one of the oafs.

"Of course little girlie, come here now." The woman motioned for me to come.

I stepped back a little and bumped into another woman, she was in her early twenties. She cackled a horrid laugh and covered my mouth with an orange cloth, and then everything went black.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"…llooo! Hellooooo!" I heard a voice.

"Eh?" I cracked my eyes open.

"Oh good you're awake." The voice said.

I got up and looked at my surroundings; I was in a big room with cracked walls and a peach colored carpet. There were old creaky beds scattered around the room and a big ceiling fan with light bulbs that produced a dull yellow light. There were also lots of kids in the room from toddlers to kids my age.

_'So this must be the orphanage Liz was talking about.'_ I thought.

"Hi, what's your name?" The same voice said.

It was a girl; she had mouse brown hair, a splash of freckles and pale blue eyes. She wore a plain brown dress that was ripped a little at the bottom.

"L-Lucy." I said.

"Hi, I'm Sophie. And welcome to Satan's Belly's orphanage." She said with a sad smile.

I looked around the room once more and found what I was looking for.

"You!" I pointed my finger at a boy with fiery red hair.

"Huh? Me?" He looked around to see if I was addressing to someone else.

"Yeah you, you have a little sister named Elizabeth right?"

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Geez, what's taking them so long? We should be done by now. I'm getting a little hungry and so are the mosquitos around here. Ugh, they better not have ditched me or I will end their existence…

* * *

**So yeah, Astrid is getting kind of bored…**

**Review please! And I mean actually review. If I had a dollar for every time someone says 'NaLu' or 'Sticy' I would be updating more often.**

**Bye! ~**


	24. Plan Gone Wrong

**Hehe, I'm going to put both NaLu and Sticy in this chapter, just to make it fair :3 I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Satan's Belly~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

The guy with fiery red hair wore a faded grey T-shirt and ripped jeans. He stared at me when I mentioned Elizabeth.

"Y-You know my sister? I-Is she okay?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"Yeah she's fine; we just came here to break you guys out, mainly you." I shrugged like it was nothing.

"Liz should be coming any minute now, once you guys have your little reunion, Astrid will blow the place up and we'll escape." I explained.

"Lizzy is here?" He asked and looked around.

"Not now. Once she gets here, she'll lead us to where the small tunnel is, I'll give Ash the signal and she'll blow it up to make it bigger." I sighed as I explained the plan once again.

"So, all we have to do is wait for Lizzy to get here and we're all free?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes." I sighed again.

"Oi, how do you know Lizzy anyways?" He asked.

"I met her in an ice cream store."

"Heh that seems like Lizzy. Let me guess, was she having a chocolate parfait." He asked.

"Yep, it seems to be her favorite.

"My name is Damon by the way." He held out his hand.

"Lucy." I shook it.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Natsu was slumped in his seat, trying his best to hold in his ice cream, Erza was swinging her sword around in a bored manner, and gray was eating a snow cone that he made. They were in the last booth of the train cart and Natsu felt someone kick the back of his seat. He ignored it at first, but then the person kept bumping into his seat.

"Oi, stop it would you." He managed to say before slumping back down.

"You can't tell me what to do." A strained voice said.

"You asking for a fight?" Natsu mumbled.

"Sure whatever, no one can beat me!" The voice mumbled back. "Let's do this."

Natsu was thinking of refusing, considering the condition he was in. But Natsu Dragneel would never back down from a fight. Erza and Gray watched in amusement as the dragon slayer attempted to get up. All three of them noticed a familiar head of spiky blonde hair poke up from the other side of the seat.

"STING?!" They all yelled in union.

"Sh-Shut up." He moaned, face turning green.

"Ok, I've had enough. I'm not going to watch a fight between two sick people or else things might get…messy." Erza sighed. "Since you are here, your partner, Rogue must be here as well. Tell me, what business do you have to be on this train?"

"Why do I have to te-" Sting got cut off from the dangerous aura that surrounded her. "Um, we c-came here to defeat the guild Satan's Belly."

"Eh? We're doing that job." Gray spoke up.

"It was a job requested to Sabertooth. You fairies have no right to participate." Sting scoffed.

"Look, blondie, we're going to do the job and save Luce, got it?" Natsu glared at Sting.

"Eh? What about Luce?" Sting was confused.

"Oi, you can't call her Luce!" Natsu growled.

"I can call her whatever I want. And what about Luce and Satan's Belly?"

"We've recently found out that Lucy and that girl, Astrid have gone to Satan's Belly for an unknown reason. They may already be there for all we know." Erza sighed.

"Luce is in Satan's Belly?" Sting exclaimed.

"Astrid?" A deep voice said.

Rogue came out from the other side of the booth.

"Yeah, Luce and Astrid. How do you know them anyways?" Natsu wondered.

"Why? Is Salamander jealous?" Sting snickered.

"N-No! And answer the question!" Natsu stammered with a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

"We met a few days ago, Luce and Astrid took a job for Sabertooth and we spent some time with each other. We talked, laughed, hugged, and kissed." He grinned.

"Why you, Luce is mine!" Natsu attempted to punch Sting but he just dodged.

"Calm down, I lied about the kissing part. But she did tell me about how you petty little fairies kicked her off the team." He glared at the three. "Pathetic."

"Oi, that was a mistake! She's forgiven us." Gray shouted.

"And she shouldn't have, she's better off with Astrid." Rogue nodded.

"You fairies can go back where you came from; we'll take it from here." String smirked.

"No, Fairy Tail always finishes their job!" Erza argued.

"Have it your way, but I'm saving Luce." Sting shrugged.

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I woke up in a room. It was dark except for the dull glow of the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I looked around the small room. There were cracked concrete floors and walls, a blow up mattress, a steel door, and a small toilet.

Huh? This isn't the same place I was in before. What happened to the other room? Where were Damon and the other kids?

"Hello?" I said to no one in particular.

I started to bag on the door.

"Let me out! Luuucy! Astrid! Help!" I wailed.

This was so not part of the plan.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Eh? Did someone call my name?" I looked around. "Must have been my imagination."

"So, when is Liz-chan going to get here?" The girl, Sophie asked.

"I don't know what's taking her so long. We were supposed to be gone when the sun has set, but the moon has already risen." I mumbled. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed.

"What is it?" Basically everyone asked.

"A-Astrid, sh-she's going to k-kill me!" I wailed.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy, you are so dead.

* * *

**_~Satan's Belly ~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been a few hours since I arrived in the orphanage, and I think something might have gone wrong.

"Ok guys," I said. "It's a hunch, but it might be possible that Liz wasn't able to meet up with us."

"You think?" Sophie groaned. "I'm going to sleep, wake me when she decides to get here."

"Hmm, where's the bathroom?" I just noticed that there wasn't one.

"Oh, you just go out that door and make a right. The hallway is completely secure so there's no way out." Damon said.

"Thanks." I got up from the worn out bed and left the room.

Making my way down the hallway, I noticed that the walls were completely steel with iron bolts.' I bet Gajeel would love this place.' I thought as I opened the steel bathroom door. There was mold in various spots, mainly the toilet seat, a small tap as a sink, and a barred window the size of a notebook. Looking at the window I got an idea.

"Gate of the twins, I open thee! Gemini!" I shouted as I took out one of my golden keys.

"Gemi!" Said one of the spirits.

"Mini!" Said the other.

"I need you guys to go out through that window, transform into me, and then tell Astrid that the plan back fired and we sort of need help. When you're done, meet me in the orphanage room." I ordered.

"Understood!" The two twins shouted as they left.

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I roamed the small room I was in to look for any openings. Luckily for me, I spotted a small air duct I should be able to fit into in the upper corner of the ceiling. I climbed up on top of the toilet seat to push myself up. Using all my strength I managed to climb into the vent, it was a bit bigger than expected.

"Phew, now where is that room?" My voice echoed.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I punched an oak tree for a few hours, and then I got bored and started to kick a boulder around. I was about to mass murder the Lucy dummies I had made out of dirt, when I noticed a streak of yellow out of the corner of my eye.

"You!" I threw a rock at Lucy. "You *throw* made *throw* me *throw* wait *throw* forever!" I growled.

"Eek! Astrid stop!" She shrieked.

"HA! No way in hell will I stop!" I laughed like a mad scientist. "You will pay!"

"Listen! I'm not Lucy!" She yelled.

I hesitated. "Liz! Ha! This will be even more fun!" I started to throw my endless supply of stones again.

"No! I'm not Liz either!" The figure cowered in fear.

"Eh?" I dropped the boulder I was about to smash her with.

"Then who or what are you?" I took out my dagger.

"Gemini." There was a poof of smoke that revealed to little creatures.

"Gemini? You mean like the spirit?" I lowered my dagger. "Are you one of Lucy's celestial spirits?"

"Yes! We've come to deliver a message!" The two said.

"What, Lucy was too scared of my wrath to do it herself?" I smirked.

"Liz hasn't showed up and Lucy needs to come up with another plan!" The twin spirits exclaimed in union.

"Huh, looks like she can't do anything without my help." I smirked. "Gemini, tell Luce to give me a few minutes."

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I sighed, leaving the moldy bathroom and back to the orphanage room. I slouched on the creaky bed and looked up at the ceiling. I noticed Gemini's key start to glow so I summoned them.

"Gate of the twins, I open thee! Gemini!" I shouted.

"Gemi!/Mini!" They said. "Astrid needs some time to think, and she's really mad at you!" They said before poofing away.

I shivered, who knows how Astrid will react when I see her. I sighed.

"Um, L-Lucy?" Sophie asked. "Wh-What was that?"

"Eh? Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm a stellar mage! I can summon spirits from the celestial world using my keys, see?" I held out my gold and silver keys.

"Whoa, all I can do is change appearance…" Damon mumbled.

"What?! You mean you can shapeshift like Liz?!" I exclaimed.

"Not exactly, Liz has more skill in the lost magic, she can fully shape shift, I can only do little things, like voice, hair, and eyes." He sulked.

"Um, it's okay, I'm sure you'll get better at it eventually…" I tried to comfort him.

I heard a metallic bang and then a muffled 'Ow…' from above. I looked up to see what it was and was greeted with a body that fell on top of me.

"Oof!" I fell on the floor and rubbed my head.

I saw a familiar head of shiny violet hair and mint green eyes.

"Lizzy!" Damon lunged at the girl.

"Damon!" Liz grinned.

"Lizzy!" He shouted again.

"Oniisan!" She hugged him tightly.

"Imouto!" Damon cried. (Imouto = Little sister)

"Lucy!" I shouted and then the two heads turned towards me.

"What?" I shrugged. "I felt left out."

Liz giggled and was about to give me a bear hug, but then an explosion was heard.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Hmm, I can't just waltz in there and evacuate everyone, and I don't have any Idea where they could be since there was illusion magic surrounding the guild, I searched for a clear opening. I lit up the match I carried with me and set fire to the string attached to the bomb. I launched the explosive into a barred window and smirked.

In the current situation I was in, there was only one logical thing to do, blow the place up.

* * *

**_~Scion~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Team Natsu and the twin dragonslayers had gotten off the train no more than fifteen minutes ago, and it was clear that there were lost.

"Luce was definitely here." Natsu sniffed.

"And so was Astrid." Rogue looked around.

"Yeah but what's this new scent? Cherry blossoms and peach." Sting commented.

"We don't know yet, but we think someone might be accompanying them, it could be the reason why they are here in the first place." Erza wiped her mouth free from any cake crumbs.

"Yeah well this person better be ready to get beaten to a pulp for putting Luce in danger." Natsu punched a nearby fountain.

"Natsu! Don't touch that, it has mold!" Erza snapped.

"Y-Yes ma'am" The fire dragon slayer quivered. "Hey I smell Luce! She's really close!" Natsu sprinted off west.

"Oi! Wait up!" Gray took off after the pinkhead.

After the five mages caught their breath, they found themselves standing in front of an old building about to fall apart.

"This can't be it, looks nothing like a guild. But Astrid and Lucy's scent is all over the place." Rogue murmured.

"That's because the guild is surrounded with illusionary magic." Erza commented. "I've dealt with something similar to this."

"Yosh! I'm going in!" Natsu reached for the doorknob.

But before he could grasp it there was an explosion. A number of cries were heard.

"Astrid!" Yelled the shadow dragonslayer.

"Lucy!" Shouted two mages.

"LUCE!" the remaining dragonslayers yelled.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Heh heh, all according to plan…

* * *

**Wow Ash, isn't your plan a bit…risky?**

**7 people out of the 166 that read the previous chapter reviewed, now if I do the math correctly then only about one person out of every 24 reviewed.**

**Can we make that a 24 out of every 24 people? Pretty Please?**

**Bye! ~**


	25. Things Go Boom

**I had this really good idea for another Fairy Tail fanfic, it came to me in a dream, but then I forgot…*sigh* I do not own Fairy Tail**

* * *

**_~Satan's Belly~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I chuckled to myself as I watched the explosion. This was my best bomb yet. I climbed up the oak tree that I punched earlier. When I got to the top I jumped down several feet into the now burning room. It looked like a bathroom, and is that a moldy toilet I see? Ew.

I put on the black sunglasses I had in my pocket and made my way out of the flames and opened the steel door, walking down the dull hallway I heard the bathroom explode once again; there must have been a gas tank nearby.

I saw a figure up ahead with blond hair.

"Astrid?" The blonde asked.

"The one and only." I smirked.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I left the orphanage room immediately to see what the explosion was. Oh look, the bathroom is on fire. I noticed someone walking out of the fiery blaze. She had sunglasses on as the bathroom exploded once more, her hair blowing around from the impact. It looked like something out of a movie.

"Astrid?" I asked.

"The one and only." She smirked.

"You really know how to make an entrance." I sighed.

"Enough chit chat, we have to get all the kids out right? You're lucky I brought more than one bomb." She grinned.

"Ash, you're crazy you know that?" I looked at her.

"Let's get this over with before we die, then we can talk 'kay?" She rolled her eyes.

I nodded and we dashed back into the room before the fire could catch up with us, locking the door behind us, I slumped to the ground.

"Alright everybody move away from the back wall!" Astrid shouted.

The children all obeyed, frightened of the strange girl with a fiery look in her eyes. Astrid knelt down and opened her bag; there were two bombs that seemed to be on a timer, with only fifteen seconds left. She placed them on the ground up against the back wall. After doing so, she ran over to where I was and turned away. You could hear the bombs beep after every second.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Ten seconds remaining_. Some of the children pulled up mattresses to shield themselves.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Nine seconds remaining_. Others held on to their precious dolls and shut their eyes.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Eight seconds remaining._ I pressed myself up against the steel door.

**_*BEEP* _**_Seven seconds remaining._I could hear Astrid chuckle to herself.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Six seconds remaining_. I felt the heat of the fire behind the door.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Five seconds remaining._ I saw Liz hold Damon tightly and whisper "I'm scared."

**_*BEEP*_**_ Four seconds remaining_. The doors heat was starting to burn, so I backed away.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Three seconds remaining._ I could hear the angry shouts of the guild members.

**_*BEEP*_**_ Two seconds remaining._ "Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?! TAKE COVER!" Astrid ordered.

**_*BEEP*_**_ One second remaining_. The room became deathly silent.

Boom.

* * *

**_~Outside of Satan's Belly~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The five mages lunged at the door and made their way in. They were greeted by frantic people running around, jumping out of windows taking their valuables with them and escaping. There was a massive fire that seemed to come from upstairs.

Before Natsu could start eating the fire, the fire had reached the kitchen's gas tank and another explosion was born. They were blown ten feet out of the guild with numerous cuts and bruises. Groaning, they got up and attempted to get back in.

A mass of people burst out of the front doors, shoving the dazed mages back to the ground. More explosions were heard, but that was nothing compared to the mega boom that could be heard a mile away.

* * *

_**~Orphanage Room~**_

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I felt like I was a little kid on Christmas morning. This was epic. I got up and looked at the wall; err, where the wall used to be. The whole part of the building was blown off and there were debris flying everywhere. I didn't have much time to admire my work so I quickly threw all of the mattresses, blankets, and pillows out of the opening.

"EVERYONE JUMP OUT!" I demanded.

They looked at me like I was crazy.

"OH COME ON, IT'S ONLY A TWO STORY DROP!" I pushed a six year old boy out.

He landed with a soft thump on the pile, and got up groaning.

"SEE? HE'S FINE. NOW MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" I continued to shout like a military drill sergeant.

Some of the kids thought of this to be fun, but most of them were hesitant to take the leap of faith. I ended up shoving more than half the children down. The worst case scenario was that they get a sprained ankle, so there wasn't anything to worry about.

The last people were me, Luce, Liz, and Liz's bro.

"You, guys go first, this explosion was all Astrid's doing, and I'm responsible for her. So we'll go last." Lucy said rather calmly.

The two siblings nodded and jumped off, free falling. I could hear Liz's scream and I laughed.

"Ready?" I looked at Lucy.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Before we could take off one of the chains that were looped in with my belt got caught, intertwined with the bed post.

"Ugh." I grunted in frustration.

"Just rip it off and leave it. It's just a chain." Lucy sweat dropped.

"But it's my favorite one!" I wailed.

"Are you serious?! We are in a life or death situation and you're worried about a chain?" She looked at me quizzically.

"I guess you're right." I sighed and yanked on the chain, it broke off into pieces.

When we got up, Lucy was pulled down.

"Ow!" She exclaimed.

He hair ribbon was knotted with a net that carried a bunch of the kid's toys.

"How the hell did that happen?!" I shrieked.

"How am I supposed to know?!" She yelled.

"Just untie it and leave it behind. It's just a ribbon." I ordered.

"But it's my favorite ribbon!" She wailed.

"Now you know how I feel." I said and smirked.

Lucy huffed in defeat and left her beloved ribbon behind; we launched ourselves out the window and landed in the pile, almost missing it. I quickly got up and ordered all the stranded children to just run before they could catch us.

"Like we need you to tell us." Mumbled a girl with mouse brown hair.

We all scattered away from the burning and still exploding guild. Some ran off into the forest, me and Luce ran back towards the run down city along with a dozen other kids. Unfortunately, one of those children was Liz.

We stopped at the fountain we passed before and took a deep breath.

"Phew, that didn't _*huff*_ go so bad." Lucy panted.

"Yeah," I collapsed on the nearby bench. "But I think I inhaled too much smoke."

"At least we got Damon and the other's free." Liz commented.

"So your name is Damon, huh?" I held out my hand. "The name is Astrid."

"Nice to meet you." He shook it.

"Astrid, what were you trying to do? Get us all killed?!" Liz exclaimed.

"NO, I was only trying to get you killed, but you ended up surviving." I sighed.

"What?!" She shrieked.

"It's called sarcasm Liz." I rolled my eyes

"Hey, what happened to the fountain?" Lucy pointed out.

"Looked like someone punched a hole in it." I murmured.

"Can we go now?" Liz whined.

"Oi, what do you mean _we_?" I raised an eye brow. "I thought we part ways now."

"We have to get cleaned up; our clothes are all covered in ash." Damon said.

"Fine," I huffed. "But after that, I'm getting ice cream, and Lucy, you're paying."

* * *

**_~Satan's Belly~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The explosions have stopped and Natsu managed to eat all the fire, it was clear that the first floor was deserted, so they climbed up the burnt upstairs. They searched all the rooms for about an hour, there was once room left and the door was blown open.

The five mages cautiously stepped into the rubble, afraid of what they might see. There were dozens of beds, without any blanket, mattresses, or pillows which they found odd. There were burnt toys scattered about and torched clothing. Oh, and the back wall was blown to bits as well.

Everything was dull except for the shiny glint of a sliver chain, and the bright cherry red ribbon that was all too familiar to the five mages.

Rogue clutched the chain in a tight grasp. Natsu fell to his knees, tears brimming his eyes as he picked up the ribbon that smelled faintly of strawberries and vanilla.

* * *

**This chapter was so much fun to write, it took me less than half the time it normally would.**

**Review on this chapter; let me know how the story is going!**

**Bye! ~**


	26. The Aftermath

**I was spinning myself on my spinning chair and got really dizzy, bad idea. Now I have a headache *depressed*I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Apartment~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We took a train back to Clementine and arrived there in the early evening. We walked the streets of Clementine, and made our way to the apartment. The door was kicked down, I caustiosly stepped over it.

"Guys," I sighed. "I think my old team may have broken in."

"Yeah, but who? You don't have any enemies right?" Damon asked.

"Well, Astrid does I guess, but they wouldn't come in if there wasn't anyone in."

"WHERE IS MY ICE CREAM?!" Astrid shrieked in horror.

She had walked straight in and made a bee line for the freezer, only to find her stash of strawberry ice cream gone.

"AND WHAT HAPPENED TO MY STRAWBERRIES?!" Liz wailed.

She was hoping to have a nice berry treat after their recent events, only to find the container empty.

"AND WHO BURNED ALL OF MY BOOKS?!"I cried.

I wanted to find out what happened in the next chapter, only to find my entire bookshelf in ashes. Wait, the only reason for her books to be burnt is, Natsu.

"NATSUUUUU!" I shouted.

"YOU MEAN THAT FIRE FREAK ATE MY ICE CREAM?!" Astrid growled.

"NO, GRAY DID."

"YOU MEAN THE STRIPPER?!"

"THEN WHO ATE MY STRAWBERRIES?!" Liz wailed.

"ERZA DID!" It was obvious.

"WHO'S ERZA?" Liz yelled.

"I'LL TELL YOU LATER." I huffed and sat on the partially torched couch. "GREAT, NOW WE NEED NEW FURNITURE!"

"WHAY ARE WE YELLING?" Damon yelled.

"Huh?" My voice was raspy.

"Well, now that that's all cleared up, why don't you go clean yourselves off and get the hell out of here, hm?" Astrid cocked her hip.

"Ash! You don't have to be so rude!" I hissed.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Astrid stared.

"I'll shower first." Liz left, glaring at Astrid.

"I'm going to go clean my room, it's pretty messy." I pointed to my room and slowly walked away, leaving the two alone.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy left the two of us alone in the living room. I sat on one couch, and Damon sat on the other one in front of me.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

Whoa, is this some kind of déjà vu? Because I remember I was in this same situation not too long ago.

"So…Astrid right?" He asked.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." I grunted.

"How did you and Lucy meet?"

"In a cave." I took a sip of water.

"Whoa, what were you guys doing in a cave?" He wondered.

"Training." I replied.

"Training for what?" He asked.

"I don't know, get stronger?" I shrugged.

"Lucy tells me you're really strong."

"That's because I am." I leaned back and scoffed.

"What's your favorite ice cream?" He asked yet another question.

"As long as it has strawberries I'm good." I took another sip.

"What about your favo-" I cut him off.

"What's up with all of these questions?" I asked.

"Just curious." He shrugged.

"My turn, why does your sister hate me so much?" I wondered.

"Well, there was this one girl, back at the orphanage that used to bully her a lot. And I guess you remind her of that girl."

"Huh…" I mumbled. "Did you dye your hair? It looks so unnatural." I inspected his hair.

"What? No way! It's completely natural!" He protested.

"Then what about your sister? Is that really her natural hair color?"

"Of course it is!" He said.

"Hmm, I'll accept that answer…" I mumbled.

"How would we even be able to dye our hair? We have no money for it." He said.

"Uh, don't you guys have shape shifting powers?" I sighed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot…" He mumbled.

"How could you forget about your own magic?" I sweat dropped.

This guy doesn't act his age, he acts like he's my little brother or something. Eh, he's still better than Liz.

"I'm done!" Liz hopped out of the bathroom.

She wore a blue sundress with purple flowers.

"Alright," Damon got up. "My turn." He shut the door behind him.

Now I was left sitting on the couch, Liz sat on the one that her brother sat on before.

I stared at her.

She stared at me.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "Looks like your hair isn't fake after all."

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

_'Lucy is dead'_

That's what the three mages thought as they rode the train back to Mangolia in silence.

After they had discovered the ribbon and chain, Sing and Rogue had gone back to Sabertooth, leaving without a word.

Erza stared at her lap, where a single piece of strawberry cake laid untouched. Gray stared outside, ice formations in the shape of keys formed on the window. Natsu clutched the bright red ribbon in a tight grasp as he tried his best not to pass out from motion sickness.

Hours of that silence passed and the announcer went off.

_*The train has now arrived at Mangolia*_

The three reluctantly got up. Erza pushed her cake to the side, causing it to topple over onto the floor. Gray pulled on his shirt, and the ice formations that decorated the window melted. Natsu rose from where he was laying on the floor, his bangs covered his eyes.

The trio slowly walked to the guild, all of their heads were down. Instead of Natsu kicking the door open with a big smile shouting "WE'RE BACK!" Erza slammed the door open and they walked in, not making a sound.

"You guys came back earlier than expected, where's your reward?" Mira asked.

"Did flame brain destroy another city again? Gihi." Gajeel chuckled.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia cried hearts in her eyes, but she stopped short. "Gray-sama, what's wrong?"

It was then when the guild members noticed the tension in the air.

"Natsu? What's in your hand?" Levy asked.

Natsu let go of the ribbon and it fell to the floor.

"Isn't th-that Lu-Chan's?" She asked with a shaky voice.

* * *

**_~Apartment~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy came back from 'cleaning her room' about five minutes later and she was currently whining about her torched books.

"Ugh! Now I won't know what happens to L!" She wailed as she swept up the ashes. "Next time I see Natsu he's dead meat!"

"I like your attitude." I smirked. "But the stripper is mine! I paid for that ice cream!"

"I'm going to fight Erza!" Liz declared and we both looked at her.

"Um, Liz?" Lucy asked.

"Yea~h? Liz swirled her straw in her drink.

"Do you know who Erza is?"

"Now that I think about it, no." Liz frowned.

"She's really powerful." Lucy informed the girl.

"I'm strong." Liz argued.

"No, like stronger than me and Ash strong." Lucy explained.

"Oh, who is she anyways?" Liz asked.

"The most powerful mage in Fairy Tail, other than the master." Lucy said.

"Eh? What's Fairy Tail?" Liz cocked her head to the side.

"Kid, I hope you're ready for the story of Lucy's life." I sighed.

Who knows how long later, Lucy finally finished the story of how she went to Fairy Tail, making friends, and being kicked out. Liz was pretty upset about it. And upset meaning upset.

"I am going to kill them." She drew a shaky breath.

"Get in line kiddo." I growled, I get riled up every time I hear that story.

"And you forgave them?!" She hissed.

"Pretty much." Lucy sighed.

You shouldn't ha-" Liz was cut off by the bathroom door opening.

"Hey guys I need more clo-" I threw a pillow at him and shielded my eyes.

Lucy and Liz shrieked and looked away.

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" I yelled.

"Oh shi- SORRY!" The bathroom door shut again.

"I think I'm scarred for life." Liz quivered.

"YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST PUT ON A TOWEL!" I yelled again.

"THERE AREN'T ANY!" He yelled back.

"WHAT ABOUT YOUR OLD CLOTHES?!"

"THEY ARE COVERED IN ASHES, AND MY SHIRT IS HALF TORCHED!" He shouted.

"I'LL GET YOU SOME NEW ONES!" Lucy joined the shout-fest.

"SO WHAT, I'M JUST GOING TO WAIT HERE NAKED?" He shouted.

"THAT'S THE PLAN!" Luce yelled back.

"Can you please stop? My ears are ringing." Liz whined.

* * *

**Ah, poor Liz…**

**Review? C'mon all you have to do is type a few words, even if they're random!**

**Bye! ~**


	27. Cremer

**I see that some of you took the 'write a random review' seriously. Eh, I had a good laugh. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~1 Week Timeskip!~_**

**_~Apartment~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Waking up and opening my blinds, I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth, only to find that all the toothpaste was gone. I used all my strength to squeeze the last bit out on my tooth brush. I sighed when I finished and began to brush my hair. There were toothpaste stains on the counter and in the sink, I grunted.

I walked back into my room and changed into a pair of black shorts and a tight grey tank top. Making my way out of my room, I tripped over a sock. Yes, a sock. And it wasn't even my sock. I growled and picked the damn thing up.

I entered the kitchen and sat around the small breakfast table seeing that all the bacon was eaten by the three hungry people in front of me.

"You." I looked over to the redhead scarfing up eggs. "Why was your sock in my room?"

I flung the piece of clothing into his plate.

"Ew, Ash, you didn't have to do that!" He whined.

"I've been thinking," I ignored his comment. "I distinctly remember telling you guys that you are not living with us."

"Yeah so?" Liz ate a strawberry.

"My point is, that WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL LIVING HERE?!" I screeched.

"Astrid, they have nowhere else to go. Plus they have no jewels either." Lucy pointed out.

"So, I don't care about what happens to them." I stabbed the sausage on my plate. "This apartment was made for two people, three tops."

"It's not like we're causing any trouble." Damon mumbled.

"Uh, hello? I tripped over your sock this morning. Plus, you used up all of the toothpaste, and you weren't clean when doing so either." I growled.

"Oh yeah, huh, sorry about that." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'll accept your apology once you move out once and for all." I huffed.

"Actually," Lucy played with her food. "I think Fairy Tail is still paying for my old apartment, it might be a bit girly, but you could live there."

"And why did you not bring this up a week ago?" I asked.

"I guess I forgot." She shrugged.

"Doesn't matter anymore, after a quick stop to the ice cream shop we're going to Mangolia!" I cheered.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

It's been a week. One week since Team Natsu came back from their job. One week since the bad news was heard. One week since Lucy died. But no one believed it. Everyone continued to be as they were, laughing, drinking, brawling, avoiding the topic of Lucy, smiling, as they used to be.

"I can't wait for the next chapter Lu-chan is going to give me!" Levy squealed.

Lucy would give Levy her newest chapter after finishing it. Levy had just read the latest one for the fifth time, completely forgetting about what had happened just one week ago. The guild became silent.

Cana slammed her barrel back onto the table, the glass that Natsu held in his hand shattered into bits, leaving tiny cuts that bled out. A piece of strawberry cake fell from Erza's fork, and Mira turned away with tears in her eyes.

Levy gasped and quivered, she said the forbidden word, the taboo. She whispered a silent "Gomen." And grabbed a job after it being approved by Mira, she left.

"Oi shrimp, wait up!" Gajeel quickly followed.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Okay~" Astrid grinned. "Now we can go to Mangolia and this nightmare will be all over!"

We made our way to the train station and Astrid hopped onto the seat closest to the doors because when the train arrives she'll be there 'even quicker'. We rode the train talking like there was no tomorrow.

I was tearing up about them leaving, but the two siblings reassured me that they could still visit us and we could visit them. Astrid even joined the conversation once in a while.

The plan was to show them the way to my old apartment, say our goodbyes and get out of there as soon as possible before any dragonslayers nearby would catch our scent.

_*The train will arrive in Cremer in five minutes*_

The announcer went off.

Did I hear that correctly? I had no idea that Cremer was so close to Mangolia. Cremer was known for its famous library filled to the ceiling with books. I've always wanted to go there.

"Guys, we have to stop by Cremer!" I exclaimed.

"And _why_ would we waste our time doing that?" Astrid sighed.

"Because it only has the greatest library ever." I grinned.

"No." She crossed her arms.

"Why not?" I whined.

"Because I said so." She scoffed.

"Oh c'mon Ash, you got your ice cream earlier." I argued.

"And you would all be dead if I didn't." She retorted.

"I want to see what's so great about this place; I want to go there too!" Liz smiled.

"Eh, if Liz is going them I am going." Damon shrugged.

"Traitors!" Astrid growled, her good mood ruined.

We arrived at Cremer and took a tour around the city. It had a similar layout to Mangolia, Astrid insisted on getting some ice cream, and it's not like we had a choice. A few sundaes later, we found directions to the famous library.

I now stood in front of the magnificent structure that was ten times the size of Fairy Tail. I gawked at the many carvings that decorated the exterior. Liz gasped in awe at the…gumball machine.

"Lucy! Lucy! Can I have some jewels?" Liz begged.

"Now Liz, we don't want you to get cavities right?" I said.

"Pwease!" Liz gave me 'the look'.

"Damon! Make her stop!" I tried to avoid her.

"I can take care of her." Astrid smirked and cracked her knuckles.

"I don't think that's necessary Ash." I sweat dropped.

I opened the big mahogany doors to avoid any more questions. There were books everywhere. They lined the walls, piled on the floors and desks, everywhere. There were multiple rooms for different genres. I quickly dashed to the fantasy/romance room and I was in heaven.

Astrid, Liz, and Damon followed, trying their best not to trip over any books. Astrid failed and landed face first on the floor.

"Some library this is, it's not even organized." She groaned and got up.

Then we heard someone by the window crying. The four of us hid behind a bookshelf and peered through the small gap to see who it was.

Much to my surprise I saw a small girl with messy blue hair and an orange bandana tied in. She was leaning against a guy with long spiky black hair and multiple piercings.

I sucked in a breath and hid behind another pile of books. What were they doing here?!

"You alright?" Damon caustiosly asked.

"Yeah, you look live you've seen a ghost." Liz giggled.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Astrid hissed.

"Who are they?" Liz asked.

"Gajeel and Levy." I sighed.

"You mean the Iron dragon slayer and your old best friend?!" Liz exclaimed.

"She's still my best friend but yeah." I slumped. "We've got to get out of here before they notice us and drag me back to Fairy Tail." I slumped down and listened to more of their conversation.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Damon sweat dropped.

"Later." I whispered.

"I miss Lu-chan!" Levy cried.

"Shh, I miss her too shrimp. Sometimes I think I can still smell her…wait. I _do_ smell her!" He exclaimed.

"Shit Luce! We've got to move!" Astrid pulled me up and we wove our way through the maze of bookshelves.

I heard light footsteps behind me and the heavy clink of metal. I started to run, Damon, Liz and Astrid beside me. They were only one bookshelf away, two tops. I reached a dead end.

"Quick! Hide me!" I squeaked.

I crouched onto the ground and the three surrounded me so that I wasn't visible. Once Levy and Gajeel had caught up with us they were disappointed to find a couple of teens and a little kid. They were about to turn around when Gajeel stopped.

"Wait a minute, I remember you!" He was pointing at Astrid. I gulped.

"Yeah, so what?" She grunted.

"Where's bunny girl?!" He demanded. "I can smell her, she's close!"

"You're not going to find out anything with that attitude!" She snorted.

I sweat dropped, wrong move Ash.

"Lu-chan?" A small voice squeaked.

Astrid had moved a few inches from her spot while she argued with Gajeel and had made myself visible.

"Oh, hi Levy-chan. I was just uh, reading this really good book." I picked up the nearest hardcover next to me.

"Moby Dick?" She looked at me like I was crazy.

* * *

**Ah, I've never read Moby Dick, but I've heard that it's really boring, so I decided to put that in. I do not own Moby Dick.**

**Review, and yes, random ones are accepted :3**

**Bye! ~**


	28. Rampage

**NOTICE: STARTING ON AUGUST 1****ST**** THERE WILL BE NO MORE UPDATES UNTIL AUGUST 8****TH****! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Uh, yeah Moby Dick, it's the best book ever." I rolled my eyes.

"Lu-chan, you hate Moby Dick." Levy crossed her arms.

"I do not." I argued.

"You burnt the last copy that you read because it was so awful!" She sweat dropped.

"Did I? I don't remember-" I was cut off.

"Oi, shrimp shouldn't we be paying attention more to the fact that bunny girl is alive?" Gajeel grunted.

"Oh right!" Levy exclaimed. "LU-CHAN!" She lunged at me and cried anime style.

"Hold up." Astrid stopped Levy mid-hug. "Since when did Luce die?"

"Yeah, last I checked she was alive." Damon examined me.

"Eh?! But what about the fire?" Levy asked.

"You mean Astrid's plan?" I looked at said girl. "She blew the place up so we could get all the little kiddos out."

"But your ribbon and her chain! They were left behind! We thought you…you…" Levy started to tear up.

"Whoa there Levy-chan, I'm fine. see? My ribbon and Astrid's chain got stuck, so we had to leave them behind. And how did _you_ know about the explosion?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Team Natsu wer-" Levy got cut off.

"Those idiots!" Astrid hissed. "I knew they wouldn't stop following us!"

"No! They took a job for Satan's Belly, and found the items when they got there." Levy explained.

"Oh yeah? Then why did they break into the apartment and eat all of our stuff?" Liz whined.

"Eh? I didn't know anything about that…" Levy mumbled.

"Oh, tell that stripper that he's dead okay? He ate all my ice cream so…" Astrid trailed off.

"AND Natsu burnt my books; I need Erza to beat him up for that!" I remembered.

"Oi, enough talking. We've got to bring bunny girl back to the guild so that they know she's okay." Gajeel picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Astrid growled.

She pulled me off and I fell to the ground.

"Ow Ash, you don't have to be so rough."

"Tch, not my problem." She grunted.

"Look, I don't know who you two are." Gajeel pointed at Liz and Damon. "But Bunny girl is coming with us." He glared at Astrid and picked me up again.

"No, she isn't." She pulled me back.

But then Gajeel yanked me away again.

Astrid kicked him in the shin and tugged me away.

And so the tug-o-war game began.

"Guys _*ow*_ help!" I pleaded, looking at Liz and Damon.

"Nothing to do here…" Damon mumbled and he went to read some books.

"Oi Liz! You'll help me right?" I looked at the girl hopefully.

"Okay!~ But I wan't money for the gumball machine." She smirked.

"Ugh, fine." I rolled my eyes.

Astrid held onto one arm while Liz held onto the other, Gajeel and Levy was holding onto both of my legs. I groaned and then got an idea.

"Levy-chan~" I smirked.

"Eh? What is it Lu-chan?" She asked.

"Why are you here with Gajeel? Is this a date~" I snickered.

"Eh?!" Out of shock, both Fairy Tail mages dropped my legs.

"Yes! Free at last!" I rubbed my sore wrists and ankles.

"Not so fast bunny girl." Gajeel smirked as he and Levy lunged at me once again.

"Quick! Liz, change!" I shouted.

"Got it!" Liz nodded and quickly morphed into me.

"NANI?!" The two exclaimed and faltered. (Nani = What)

"Ha!" Liz laughed. "Now you don't know who is who!"

We ran around in circled to scramble each other even further when I had an idea. I silently opened Gemini's key and voilà! And then there were three. If only Edo-Lucy were here…

"I guess we'll be going now!" The three of us said in union.

We were just about to pass them when I felt someone grab my wrist in an iron grip, pun not intended.

"Hold on bunny girl, you all have different scents remember?"

"Oops…" I sighed.

Liz morphed back to her original state and I closed Gemini's gate.

"Okay, you got me, but one more thing…" I smirked and disappeared.

"I'm not getting caught that easily." I reappeared behind Gajeel.

"Liz! Ash!" I shouted.

The two got the message, Astrid teleported to the exit and Liz slipped between the two confused mages and made her way to the doorway.

"Damon, let's go!" Liz grabber her brother's arm and pulled him out.

"BY LEVY-CHAN! TELL THE GUILD I SAID HI!" I shouted before dashing out.

* * *

**_~3 hour Timeskip!~_**

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

We got back to the apartment, and all I have to say is, Astrid is pissed.

"WHY DID WE NOT GO TO MANGOLIA?! I would have been free from these brats!" She whined.

"Calm down Ash, if we did go there, then everyone would hug me to death since I'm alive, like they did with Lisanna…" Lucy trailed off with a sad look.

"Okay," I said. "Who exactly were those people?" Am I the only one that doesn't know?

"Oh right, you never did hear the sad story of Lucy Heartfilia, here we go again." Astrid sighed.

"Ok, so about a year ago, I joined this guild called Fairy Tail…" She began.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The mages of Fairy Tail were a bit depressed because of Levy's little outburst earlier today. The mention of their fallen member produced a gloomy atmosphere. There were no brawls, at least for now. There were some times like this throughout the week, when nobody would say anything for hours. But eventually things would turn back to normal.

"HELLO EYERYONE!" Levy burst into the guild with a wide smile. "Guess what!"

"What is it Levy?" Mira asked.

"Well, it's nothing really, I completed my job with Gajeel, then we went to the library afterwards, we talked to Lu-chan for a bit and she says hi." She stopped there.

The guild couldn't believe their ears.

_"WHAT?!"_ They all roared.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

"…so yeah, that's basically it." Lucy sighed as she finished.

I was at a loss for words; the only thing that came to my mind was,

"Why the hell did you forgive them?!" I questioned.

"I know right?!" Astrid nodded.

"Finally, we agree on something." Liz grinned.

"Why _did_ you forgive them?!" We all asked the poor girl.

"Well...um, stop staring at me like that!" She covered her face with a pillow.

"Aw come on Luce don't be shy! ~" I smirked and pulled away the pillow.

"I forgave them because I forgive them okay?!" She shrieked and buried her face in the cushions.

"Why are you embarrassed Luce?" Astrid snickered. "You still have feelings for a certain dragon slayer don't you? What was his name? Natsu? No, Sting? I can't remember which."

"NEITHER!" Lucy denied with a beet red face.

"Suuuure~" The three of us smirked.

"You guys…" Lucy sweat dropped. "You! You're older than me, yet you act like you're my little brother! Always annoying!" She pointed an accusing finger at me .

"So I've been told." I grinned.

"And you!" She glared at Astrid. "You're the cousin that won't stop pestering me about ice cream!"

"Can't help it." Astrid raised her hands in defense.

"Liz, you're alright." Lucy smiled sweetly.

"Aww thanks Lucy-san!" My sister hugged Luce.

"Hey! That's a lie!" Astrid argued.

"Sooo, what you're saying is that were just one big happy family?" Lizzy asked, ignoring Astrid's comment.

"Pretty much." Luce shrugged.

Huh, I liked the sound of that.

"I don't like the sound of that…" Astrid grumbled as she ate one of her magical ice cream scoops that appeared out of nowhere.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I stood up abruptly, not believing what I had just heard.

"What do you mean Luce is alive?!" I stared at the bookworm.

"I met her at Cremer's famous library." Levy explained.

Of course Luce was found in a library of all places.

"She was in Satan's Belly trying to help someone when Astrid blew the whole place up." Levy went on.

Oh, I am going to kill Astrid for putting Luce in that kind of danger. She could have actually died!

"But what about her ribbon? And Astrid's stupid chain?" I asked.

"Apparently, those items got stuck in some stuff, so they had to leave them behind." Levy sighed.

Oh yeah, I remember Luce's ribbon was tied in with a scorched net, Astrid's chain had broken to pieces as well.

"Gray, Astrid wants to kill you for some reason; I think it has something to do with ice cream." Levy giggled.

Gray went pale.

"That was hers?!" I heard him mumble and I chuckled.

"And Erza, Lucy wants you to beat up Natsu because he torched all of her books."

I gulped.

"One last question, if you saw Luce, why didn't you bring her back?!" I demanded, avoiding Titania's evil smirk.

"Well, first of all, Lu-chan can be pretty cunning." Levy laughed nervously.

I nodded, remembering the time she and Astrid had tricked me and Gray.

"And I would have gotten her for sure, but there was this little girl and some guy preventing us." Gajeel grunted.

Little girl…oh yeah, maybe she's the one that smelled like cherry blossoms and peaches. But wait, a guy?! I felt my body temperature rise.

"What guy?" I growled.

The metal fork I held in my hand melted. No way in hell would I let anyone steal my Luce away from me.

"Um, th-there was this guy he had fiery orange-ish red hair and really green eyes, same age as Lu-chan." Levy quivered.

I burst into flames.

"Cremer, you said?" I looked at bookworm.

"Y-Yeah." She shrank.

I sprinted off towards the train station; I would have preferred to run all of the way to Cremer. But that would take too long.

"Natsuuuu! Where do you think you're going?!" A dangerous voice shouted.

I looked back to see a demon with scarlet hair behind me, and behind her, a stripper. I paled at her dark aura and focused on rescuing Luce from whatever perverted dude that was with her.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Sooo we can't drop these guys off at your old place, and they can't stay here. What now?" Astrid groaned.

"Well, since we're a 'family' we won't leave each other. Looks like we have to find a new place to stay." Lucy sighed.

* * *

**I am ****_SO_**** sorry! So yeah, I won't be updating for the next seven days, for one week. Just like how everyone thought Lucy was dead for one week. If you want the full reason to why, then you cam PM me in the next 9 hours 'Kay?**

**Review! You caaan review randomly, review asking me questions about myself, review about yourself, review on what you ate for breakfast/lunch/dinner! I just get ****_REALLY_**** bored so yeah….**

**Once again, ****_REALLY_**** sorry! I'm mostly mad at myself because I'm ruining my perfect one month streak, but whatever.**

**Bye! ~**


	29. A Minute Too Late

**Haha guess what! I felt really bad about this whole one week gap thing, so I managed to squeeze this one chapter in before the deadline. YOU'RE WELCOME. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Yosh! I think this is the library Levy was talking about." Natsu stood in front of the grand building.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed.

After the long depressing week of thinking she was dead, the little feline was excited to meet Lucy.

"I can smell her." Natsu grinned and searched the place, tripping over books in the process. "This way!" He rushed off into the fantasy/romance section.

Erza and Gray had just made their way to the entrance and Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Honestly," Gray sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if he'll ever run out of energy."

"Natsu is in here!" The blue neko flew out and back into the room. (Neko = Cat)

The three mages made their way through the bookshelves and dodged the occasional hardcover that fell off of a shelf. Natsu suddenly stopped. They were at a dead end.

"I smell four scents." Natsu mumbled once the ex-quip and ice mage had caught up. "Luce's, Astrid's, the little girl's and a sharp forest pine." He growled at the last part.

"How long have they been gone?" Gray asked.

"Probably after Gajeel and Levy showed up." Erza thought out loud.

"Then our next destination is their apartment!" Natsu took off.

"I'm not really in the mood…" Gray backed away.

"I don't think so." Erza pulled his arm. "You're going to have to face her sooner or later."

"But Levy even said that she's mad at me! I ate her ice cream! Who knows what will happen to me by the end of the day." He whined.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Okay, everybody packed up?" Lucy placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

After they had talked for a while, they all had scattered throughout the apartment and began to pack before they went looking for a bigger place to stay.

"Uhhh, Luce? Can you help me squeeze these last boxes in?" Astrid asked.

She had purchased a mini-cooler so that the ice cream she had packed won't melt.

"I think fifteen boxes are enough already." Lucy sweat dropped.

"But Lu~cy! I need an even number." Astrid wailed.

"Really Ash? I don-" Lucy got cut off by Liz.

"My bag is already full and I only have room for one of these dresses. Should I pick the navy or the fuchsia one?" She held up two articles of clothing.

"Um I think you sho-" Lucy was cut off once again.

"Lucy! I can't find my socks!" Damon wailed.

"Did you check you check the sock drawer?" She sighed.

"Oh yeah, thanks Luce!" He ran off.

"Lucy! The ice cream?" Astrid tapped her foot from impatience. "At least choose which flavor I should take out."

"Luce! My socks aren't in the drawer!" Damon whined.

"Which dress exactly?" Liz examined each one.

"EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE!" Lucy snapped.

"Someone's in a bad mood." Astrid turned around and walked away. "Liz come here can you help me choose which one to take out? I think its Luce's time of month."

"I HEARD THAT." Lucy growled.

"S-Sure Ash, but first, which dress?" Liz quickly walked away from Lucy and held both items up.

"Navy, it totally brings out your eyes." Astrid suggested.

"Thanks! And avocado, why do you even have that flavor?" She took out the green carton.

"I don't know, I heard avocados were good for your hair." Astrid shrugged.

"Sooo, my socks?" Damon walked up to the girls, bypassing a fuming Lucy.

"I burnt them." Astrid tossed the avocado ice cream into the trash.

"What?! Why?" He whined.

"I tripped over another one earlier and felt like it." She glared at him. "Problem?"

"N-Nope!" He quivered and began to shove his shirts into a grey backpack.

Lucy plopped herself down on the still scorched couch and sighed. So much has happened in the past few months. She wonders if she's changed in any way other that her strength. _'Eh, I still seem the same to me, so nothing to worry about.' _She thought and shrugged it off.

"Okay! I'm done!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too." Damon got up from the floor.

"Hold on, I can't find my purple flats!" Liz scanned the floor.

"Oh yeah, I think I burned them." Astrid commented.

"WHAT?!" Liz shrieked.

"Yeah, I think one of Damon's socks was in your shoe, and I didn't feel like sticking my hand in there, so I just burned it." Astrid chuckled.

"So this is all your entire fault!" Liz glared at her brother.

"Now Lizzy, you wouldn't want to do anything we would regret now do we?" He backed away and chuckled nervously.

"I know." Liz sighed, but then an evil grin appeared on her face.

"Oh would you look at the time! It's time for tea!" Liz squeaked.

She had morphed into Damon, she was wearing a loose dress, too it looked really ridiculous on 'him' she took out some lipstick and put on the makeup.

"Two lumps please!" She/he said.

Lucy couldn't help herself; she burst into laughter, hugging her side because it started to ache. Astrid did the same. The brunette slapped her hand on the counter repeatedly; she missed once and accidentally knocked over a vase causing it to fall to the ground in shatter.

"Oops!" She giggled. "That was just too funny! Liz! Do it again!"

"Do what? M'lady?" She/he asked, picking up a mug and taking a sip, pinkie out.

"AH HAHAHAHAAA!" Lucy wiped away her tears oflaugher.

"STOP IT!" Damon yelled his face flushed.

Things went on like this for a few hours, Liz teasing Damon and the two girls laughing and accidentally bumping into stuff.

"Oh geez is it seven already?!" Lucy looked at the clock that had just dinged seven timed.

"Grab your bags before the train leaves!" Lucy ushered them.

"Phew, saved by the bell." Damon smiled.

"KYAA!~" Lucy shrieked and slipped on the puddle of water that was on the ground since Astrid had knocked over the vase.

"You okay?" Damon helped her up.

"Yeah, I just got a little cut from one of the broken shards." Lucy held up her bleeding hand.

They quickly bandaged it and tried their best to wipe the blood off of the floor and counter, not bothering to clean up the place since they aren't really coming back and they were in a rush.

They grabbed their bags and quickly shoved their way through the crowd. They slipped between the doors of the Titanic Express just as they were about to close. They slumped into a seat by the window and glanced out.

A streak of blonde and a dark shadow caught Lucy's eye.

"Ash! Look!" Lucy pointed out the window and then rolled it down.

"STING! ROGUE!" Lucy shouted and waved.

"Hey guys! Er, I mean bye, we're moving out!" Astrid called out.

"Oh hey Luce, wait…LUCE?!" Sting did a double take.

"ASTRID?!" Rogue gawked.

"You guys are so weird!" Lucy shouted back.

The train was beginning to depart the station.

"SEE YA!" Astrid grinned before they were out of sight.

"Hold on!" Was all they heard before the train entered a dark tunnel.

"How do they expect us to wait for them when we're on a moving train?" Astrid asked.

"No idea." Lucy shrugged and took a nap.

_*The train has now departed Clementine, thank you for choosing to ride the Titanic Express* _

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Team Natsu had just arrived in front of the apartment. Not bothering to knock this time, they kicked down the door without mercy.

"Here's JOHNNY!" Natsu shouted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gray looked at Natsu strangely.

"I don't know, it sounded scary." Natsu mumbled. "Wait, I smell blood."

The three scrounged the apartment and found a vase knocked over and little drops of blood on the floor.

"That guy must have kidnapped Luce or something! These are obvious signs of struggle!" He started to panic.

They found that most of the rooms were empty, but it seemed like they were here less than an hour ago. They exited the apartment and searched the vast city.

"LUUCY!" Erza shouted.

"LUUUCE!" Natsu called.

"Oi, would you be quiet already? My ears are ringing!" A voice shouted.

The three mages, including Happy swiveled around in confusion.

"STING?!" They all exclaimed.

"Yeah, and if you're looking for Luce, she just left."

* * *

**_~Titanic Express~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I was in the middle of this really good dream that I won a life time supply of strawberry ice cream, but I was woken up by being shook violently.

"THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" I shouted.

"ASH! Thank god you're awake! There seems to be a massive boulder blocking the way of the train, we're going to collide any second now!" Lucy explained.

"AND WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT IT?!" I yelled.

"I don't know….you're the oldest!" She said.

"I'm so scared." Liz quivered.

I heard the train's brakes screech, attempting to stop. I looked out of the window to see a massive boulder, the size of a building, blocking the rails. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact. There was a tremendous crash. I felt our section of the cart get torn off. We were rolling off a steep rocky cliff. Lucy and Liz were screaming. Everything went black.

* * *

**Wow, I've never written two chapters in one day before…**

**After I had finished the previous chapter, I realized something, I can't just leave you guys for a week without a cliff hanger! So I made one.**

**Yes, you can review on how evil I am if you want!**

**Bye! ~**


	30. The Wreckage

**I lied! I was able to update today! Ok, full story: Apparently I spend 'too much' time on the internet, so my dad decided to cut off the internet for the first week of August, I convinced him that I was internet worthy, so he let me go on for today, but I'm not sure about tomorrow. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Train Wreckage Site 1~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

My arms, legs, back, practically my whole body ached. I slowly opened my eyes to see my surroundings. My vision was a bit blurry at first, but once it had cleared, I found myself in the middle of yet another forest. The sun was shining brightly, I closed my eyes.

I groaned and rolled over to my side, wincing at the sharp pain in my right shoulder. I cracked my eyes open once again to take a peek. I looked at myself covered in cuts and bruises. My right arm felt really sticky when I touched it.

Is that…blood?

Following the trail of the sticky red stuff on my arm led me to my shoulder; there were bits of glass stuck in there. I braced myself for the pain and cried out every time I slowly pulled a shard out.

What happened? How did I get here?

I slowly got up but then I felt dizzy and fell right back down onto hard rocks.

_'Ugh, please tell me this is just all a dream.'_ I passed out.

* * *

**_~Sabertooth~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

It was just a normal day in Sabertooth. The members have noticed that Sing and Rogue have been in a better mood for these past few days.

Lector was reading a book about the different typed of fish written by Happy Dragneel. Frosh was happily sleeping on the bar counter. Sting and Rogue were discussing fighting strategies when a loud knock was heard throughout the guild.

Minerva got up from the barstool and opened the doors. There stood a deliveryman with a large box behind him.

"Is this Sabertooth?" The man asked while looking at his clipboard.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Minerva snapped.

"I'm here to deliver the Lacrima Screen that you ordered last week." He said, unaffected by the woman's glare.

"It's about time." She grunted.

The man wheeled the large box into the middle of the guild and held out his clipboard with and a pen.

"You need to sign here, here, and initials here." He pointed to sections of the paper.

Minerva did so and threw the clipboard back at the man; he left, pretending like he didn't feel the dark aura that surrounded everyone. As soon as the door shut behind him Sting ran over to the box and tore it open.

"Yes! We finally have a Lacrima Screen!" He held up the device in the air.

"Don't break it you idiot." Minerva shouted and took it away from him.

She threw it up in the air and it began to float, suspended in the air. There was a small remote that came with it and Sting began to flip to random channels.

"Cooking…golf…baseball…oh look what's on the news!" He exclaimed.

_"Three days ago the Titanic Express had not reached its destination, further investigation states that thirty minutes after the train had left the station it encountered a boulder blocking the rails. There was a search for any passengers and it is confirmed that there are no survivors. Now to John with the weather stats." _ The lady on the screen reported.

_"Thank you Mary, Sunday we will have showers and a slight change of a thunderstorm in the eastern region of Fiore…" _The news went on.

Sting had dropped the remote and the guild turned to look at him, his face was pale with his mouth slightly hung open. Rogue having the same expression. But the guild paid no attention, shrugging it off like it was nothing.

The twin dragonslayers turned to face each other, their bangs covered their eyes and they were slightly shaking.

* * *

**_~Train Wreckage Site 2~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Ugh, my head hurts. Last thing I remember was someone waking me up from my awesome dream and then I got hit by ice cream, no, I think I hit someone with ice cream. Wait, something definitely hit something, I just can't remember.

I got up to a sitting position and looked around, huh, looks like a forest. Maybe I just dreamt the past few months and Liz never existed. Nah, that would be too good to be true. There was a small stream just a few feet away from me.

I reached over and cupped my hands, hoping to get a drink because I was parched. There was a sharp pain on my forehead and I felt a warm liquid trickle down. I touched my head and brought my hand back to see a glistening thick red liquid.

Blood?

I attempted to stand up but a wave of nausea washed over me and I fell back down, face first into the dirt.

Hmm, I'm too tired to get back up, I guess I should sleep.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

After the encounter with the twin dragonslayers and finding out that they had just missed Lucy, they decided to go back to the apartment and look around a bit more. They stepped over the door they had knocked over and Erza carefully swept up the glass bits from the broken vase.

Natsu and Happy scrounged what looked like to be Lucy's old room since some of her stuff was still here and Gray went through the kitchen_. 'Huh, avocado ice cream?'_ The ice mage opened the trash. _'Why is it in the garbage?' _He thought to himself.

Fifteen minutes later Gray got tired and turned on the Lacrima Screen that was implanted into the wall. He flipped through various channels and settled on the news.

_"Three days ago the Titanic Express had not reached its destination, further investigation states that thirty minutes after the train had left the station it encountered a boulder blocking the rails."_

Natsu and Erza had finished what they were doing and also came to see what was happening.

_"There was a search for any passengers and it is confirmed that there are no survivors. Now to John with the weather stats." _ The reporter stated.

_"Thank you Mary, Sunday we will have showers and a slight change of a thunderstorm in the eastern region of Fiore…" _The sat a fat man in a suit.

"Uh, guys? Isn't that the train Sting said Lucy went on?" Gray quivered.

"No…Luce…" Natsu whispered.

* * *

**_~Train Wreckage Site 3~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

My head was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode. I cracked open my eyes and found myself in the middle of the road, and on either side of me, a lush green forest. I couldn't just lay here or else I'd get run over.

It took lots of effort, but I managed to get up into a standing position. I took a step but then a sharp pain shot up my leg. With a cry I toppled back down onto the pavement.

I ended up crawling to the side of the road and collapsing onto the green grass. Staring up into the sky, I saw a few crows circling overhead, that's funny, crows only come around when death is near.

I smiled to myself before everything faded back into darkness.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The twin dragonslayers sulked out of their guild and walked gloomily around the streets of Clementine, with no destination in mind. A tiny jingling sound could be heard, Sting looked over to Rogue to see a chain hanging from his belt, Sting wasn't it the mood for teasing him about it and they continued on to walk.

"Sting-kun! Sting-kun! What's wrong?" A maroon colored cat came flying over.

"Rogue…" Frosch looked at his owner sadly.

They walked off and found themselves standing where they had last seen Lucy and Astrid just a few days ago and their mood worsened as they slumped onto a bench.

* * *

**_~Train Wreckage Site 4~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I woke up on a soft bed of moss, there were many luscious plants surrounding me, I was in a forest, but how did I get here?

I slowly got up and took a step, there was a dull pain in my left ankle but I was determined to find the others, I began to limp off into the greenery slipping every now and then, or stopping to get a drink.

I was really hungry and about to collapse onto a tree when I saw a body with a head of long dark hair off in the distance.

"Great…" I muttered.

Out of all the people I had to meet up with, it just had to be _her._

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

After watching that bit of the news, Team Natsu had left the apartment, not bothering to fix the door on their way out.

They sulked their way to the train station so that they could go back to Mangolia. But the train never came because of…the accident. After noticing why, the three mages slumped into one of the nearby benches and Happy fell asleep in Natsu's lap.

Natsu had noticed that Sting and Rogue were sitting in the bench. The five mages made eye contact and it was clear that everyone had heard the news. The five of them hung their heads low.

_'We were so close, if only we had come sooner…'_ They all thought in silence.

* * *

**It would have been a really easy way to end the story, but your welcome, they didn't die.**

**I'm not really sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow, but I'm just really happy that my 32 day streak of updating hasn't been ruined yet.**

**Review, please? **

**Bye! ~**


	31. Accidents Happen

**I'm at the library right now and there aren't any available computers, so I am literally texting this chapter. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

_**~Castle~**_

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I woke up expecting to be eaten alive by bears, but instead I found myself lying in what looked like to be a bed. Hah, I knew this was all just a bad dream. All I have to do is get myself ready, and we're leaving the apartment for real this time. No train collisions needed.

Then I got a good look at my surroundings. All I have to say is, this is not my room. To sum up the place I was in right now was pink. Pink…everything. Walls, bed, carpet, dressers, even the mirror was tinted pink. And this was no ordinary pink room either.

The bed itself looked like it was bigger than king sized, it was one of those circular ones with downy soft blankets, and feather stuffed pillows. But that wasn't all; there was a veil of pink transparent fabric surrounding the bed.

Rubbing my eyes, I looked down at my clothing and sighed in relief that I was in, yes pink, but normal pajamas by my standards. I wore a light cotton tank top and a pair of sweats.

On to the next problem, how did I get here exactly?

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I shot up from where I was resting. Man, that was some crazy dream. A train crash was a pretty weird dream, but not the weirdest dream I've ever had. Wait, something isn't right here…

I looked around surprised to find myself not sleeping on the couch of the apartment, but in a large room with blue everywhere. The ceiling was sky blue, the carpet was turquoise, and the dressers were ocean blue. Oh, and this humungous bed that could fit ten people was blue too.

I looked sown to find myself in a light blue T-shirt and blue shorts.

Hmm, what if I'm just colorblind? Or maybe this is another dream? Because I don't remember coming here…

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I woke up from where I had passed out and everything was green, no wait, my vision was just a bit blurry. I could clearly hear the birds chirping so I must be in some sort of forest. I felt what seemed to be a stick stab me in the gut.

"Wake up already you fattie!" I heard a voice shout.

I groaned, this could only be the one and only.

"Liz…" I growled.

The figure jumped and stepped back.

"Oh, good you're awake. I thought you had died or something. Not saying it would be bad if you did…" She rambled on.

"Ugh, would you shut up already?" My head was pounding.

I groaned again and slowly got up, leaning on a tree for support. I repeatedly blinked because my vision started to blur once again. I shook my head and that seemed to clear everything.

"Okay, so I'm stuck in the forest with my least favorite person in the world. Now what?" Liz whined.

"I am going to go look for Luce, you can go look for that moron of a brother." I slapped my face to keep myself awake because I started to feel sleepy again.

Stay focused Ash, focus.

"I don't think you're in any condition to go anywhere without supervision." Liz smirked.

"I can supervise myself." I slurred, beginning to feel drowsier.

"Well, you hit your head pretty hard there, you might have a concussion." Liz pointed out.

Oh yeah, that head injury from earlier. It wasn't that bad.

"Concussion my ass, I'm leaving. Right after this nap." I slumped onto the ground and fell asleep.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I jumped out of bed and opened the nearest dresser. I was greeted with gowns, dresses, and tutus. I sighed and shut the door_. 'What's up with this place? Reminds me of my old home.'_ I thought, reaching for the doorknob.

Luckily for me, it wasn't locked. I peered down the hallway and saw ceramic tiles with extravagant designs, tall ceilings held up by marble pillars, and statues with bust heads that I don't even recognize. Is this come kind of castle?

I walked down the long hall; the floor was cold against my bare feet. There were many doors but they were all locked.

"Princess!" A voice called out. "You're not supposed to be here princess!"

I swiveled my head around and saw a petite woman probably in her early forties wearing a heavy coat of makeup, a blue dress that looked like it belonged to a sugar plumb fairy, and faded green hair tied up in a bun.

"Eh?" Was my only response.

Wait, did she just call me princess? Maybe one of my spirits has something to do with this.

"Princess, you're supposed to be in your room! Your stylist should be here any minute now!" The small woman ushered me back to my room.

"My what?! Sorry, come again?" I was confused.

"The royal stylist my dear!" The woman shoved me back into the pink room.

I heard the door click, great, she locked me in. I inwardly groaned and turned around and found myself facing a tall, skinny man wearing a matching set of designer pants and a white button up shirt. He had had sleek jet black hair and a small mustache. He had a thin gold chain around his neck and various silver and gold watches.

"Ah! There you are my dear princess! Come and take a seat what Jacque does your hair!" He nodded.

Who's Jacque? I looked around the room for any more people. There weren't any. _'Guess he must be talking in third person like Juvia.'_ I thought as I sat in the empty chair Jacque pulled up.

I have no idea what is going on right now, so I guess I'll just go with the flow for now.

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I should get out of this bed and find out what's happening around here, second thought, I think I should rest for a bit. This bed is really comfy.

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been what? Two hours? Jacque was doing the finishing touches to my hair while I slouched on the chair. I'm getting kind of hungry…

"Are you done yet?" I whined.

"Almost princess, just a few more…and done!" He exclaimed and swiveled the chair to face the mirror. "Voilà!"

My jaw dropped to the floor as I gasped in horror at my appearance. I look like a poodle.

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

Well, looks like Astrid fell asleep again; I rolled my eyes and slouched against a tree. Now what? There was a shiny glare that shone in my eyes and I blinked. I looked around and noticed a shiny dagger sticking out of one of Astrid pockets.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, I took out the dagger and began to play around with it. I morphed into different people that found weird and creepy.

The first one was an old cat lady; I waved the dagger around and cackled like a witch. The second one was one of the guild members back in Satan's Belly, I pretended to stab myself.

The last one was a man wearing a monocle, I saw him once in Clementine a little before I had met Lucy. The man was tall and rather plump; he had short jet black hair with a silver streak in it, a black suit with a black tie, a monocle over his left eye, and a cold hard expression. I grinned evilly.

"I will kill you Astrid!" I declared, playing the role of an evil villain.

Astrid's eyes shot open and she drew in a sharp breath. She scrambled up against a tree and pulled herself up.

"U-Uncle." Her expression grew dark. "What are you doing here?"

Huh? Uncle?

"What are you tal-" I was cut off when she reached for her boot and pulled out yet another dagger.

My eye widened and I backed away. "Whoa there." My voice shook.

Next thing I knew, the sharp object came flying over and buried itself in my leg. I cried out in pain as the crimson liquid gushed out.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Jacque the stylist left not too long ago and I was hopelessly trying to fix my hair. Then I had an idea.

"Gate of the crab, I open thee! Cancer!" Why didn't I think of this before?

"How may I be of service? Ebi~" Cancer asked.

"Fix…this." I gestured to the area around my head.

"Right away, ebi ~" He took out his scissors.

Cancer went to work right away, and in less than two minutes I had my hair turned back to normal, straight with a pink bow on the side. Although I have no idea where the bow came from.

I jumped up from the chair and made a grab for the doorknob, only to find it locked.

"Cancer, can you give me one of your scissors for a moment?" I asked.

"Hai, ebi~" He agreed. (Hai = Yes)

I bent down and used the scissors to pick the doorknob's lock. I was successful and opened the door.

"Thanks Cancer, you can go back now." I smiled.

"Ebi~" He disappeared in a golden light.

I sighed and began to walk through the empty halls once again. Maybe I'll find Ash and the others.

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I woke up feeling groggy, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't fall back asleep. I sighed and threw the covers off of me and departed the room I was in.

I walked down the cold empty hallway with no destination in mind. As long as I found food I would be happy. Because right now, I'm starving.

"Sir Prince!" I heard a voice call out.

I didn't bother to look behind me because me? A prince? Ha.

"Sir Prince!" The voice called out once more.

There wasn't anyone else around me so there could be a chance that the person was addressing this 'prince' title to me. I turned around and pointed at myself.

"Me?" I asked.

"Of course your highness! Now come! It's time for your fitting!" A small woman with brown hair.

What's a fitting?

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I was woken up by the sound of laughter, like a witches cackle. But I paid no attention to that because after all, Liz is a witch. I kept my eyes closed and was about to fall into a blissful sleep when I sensed a dark shadow loom over me.

"I will kill you Astrid!" A deep voice shouted.

Snapping my eyes open, I found myself face to face with my least favorite person in the world. The hell was he doing here? Well, this could just be another one of my freakish dreams.

"U-Uncle." I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He looked confused for a moment. Ha, like I was going to fall for that trick.

"What are you tal-" I reached for my dagger before he could make his move.

"Whoa there." His eyes widened and he took a step back.

What's up with him? He's seen plenty of dagger, guns, and explosives before. With a flick of my wrist I sent the dagger flying towards the man. I got him in his right leg just below his kneecap so he wouldn't be albe to run away.

He cried out in pain, but something wasn't right. That was a girl's voice. Uncle's hair started to grow long and turn a deep shade of purple. His dark eyes shone a bright green. And he shrunk down the size of a twelve year old girl.

"Liz?!" My jaw dropped.

Oops.

* * *

**Think before you act Ash, or else things could get pretty nasty.**

**Eek! This chapter was too short! I was planning on posting two chapters today, but I have a party to go to, sorry.**

**Review! This whole castle thing may still be a bit confusing, even for me.**

**Bye! ~**


	32. Complications

**THANK YOU ALL for the 100 favorites! Well, 101 now :3 Here's a longer chapter to make up for my delay in updating. I had this really awesome Sticy dream, and I might put it in the story, maybe :3 I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Even though they were still mourning over the loss of Lucy and Astrid, they still needed money. Sting and Rogue had just come back from their recent mission and they stopped by an outdoor restaurant for lunch.

Rogue was about to take a bite out of his BLT when he smelt the familiar scent of cinnamon and mint close by. Sting also noticed and almost dropped his sandwich. At that moment, a black blur flew by. But if you looked close enough, you would see a teenage girl with long dark wavy hair, stormy grey eyes, and a leather jacket.

The two Dragon Slayers jumped up from their seats and followed her.

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"_Shit_," I ran my fingers through my hair. "Oh gosh Liz I'm _so_ sorry!"

Liz was clutching her leg in pain, the blood oozed out from between her fingers. She sent me death glares every chance she got. I felt really bad. I've never gotten stabbed before, but it looked like it hurt. I was about to apologize once more, but then I realized something.

"Wait a minute," I stopped pacing. "This is _your_ fault! Not mine." I huffed.

"How so?" Liz growled.

"_You're_ the one who was waving my dagger around shouting 'I will kill you Astrid!' in my uncle's form. Why _wouldn't_ I stab you with a dagger?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Well how was I supposed to know that creepy guy was your uncle?!" Liz wailed, still in pain.

"Either way, I would have stabbed you." I shrugged.

"I'm telling Lucy." Liz stuck her tongue out.

"_Excuse_ me?" I looked at her incredulously. "She's going to take my side though, so it doesn't matter."

"No she won't, because I'm _cuter_ than you." Liz grinned.

"How is that supposed to matter?" I sweat dropped.

"It just does,"

But still, I was pretty freaked out by this whole situation. And if Lucy ever found out, she _would_ get mad at me. Accident or not. I sighed in defeat.

"I'm going to bounce back over to Clementine and get some medical supplies. I don't have that much magical power because of this whole train crash and head injury thing, but I think I'll be able to make it there and back." I explained.

"Well then what are you still doing here? Get moving!" Liz ordered.

"Don't tell me what to do." My face grew dark, and I teleported away.

* * *

**_~Castle~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I was dragged back into a room, a yellow one, not far from the blue room and was standing on a podium in front of a full length mirror.

They had made me try on so many princey outfits, I lost count. They finally settled on a button up cashmere blue suit with white frilly ruffles all around the collar, cuffs, hem, and ankles. Add a little more color with a three pointed hat, and I might end up as a joker instead.

I groaned, hoping I won't have to wear this outside of wherever I was. The tailor guy quickly left the room. Apparently he had locked me ? I don't know, all I knew is that the tailor had left various pins and needles. Perfect, now all I have to do is pick the lock, find new clothes and get the hell out of here.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Not even five minutes after I had gotten out of my room was I shoved back into another one, purple this time, by the same small woman. I was introduced to the royal tailor and was forced to try on what seemed to be hundreds of gowns and dresses. Some I liked, some were fashion disasters.

Who knows how long later, they all agreed on (well, everyone but me) a pink gown that reached my feet, similar to the ones that I wore back at my old mansion. Except this one was a little bit more frilly. It had a ruffled sash, a ruffled bodice, a ruffled hem, and the bottom was ruffled all the way to my knees.

I could pass for a clown if I put on face paint and a red nose.

Before the three fussy tailors had left the room, they brought out a pair of pink stilettos with three inch heels. God, it's been so long since I've worn heels, and the dress didn't help either.

But there was one benefit; I was able to hide my keys within the ruffled sash, so no worries there. They had locked the doors one more, and I used Cancer to get out again.

Walking down the hall, I smelt what seemed to be chicken. I followed my nose to where the delicious aroma was coming from, but when I turned the corner, I walked into…

"Damon?"

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Phew, coming here really drained me out. Lucky for me, I appeared right next to the ice cream store. I walked into my favorite place in the world and ordered a simple strawberry scoop, seeing that I only had enough jewels in my pocket for that much.

I licked my fingers free from any stickiness after I had finished in ten seconds, my new record by the way. I dashed out and went searching for a drug store of some sort.

I spotted one in the distance right next to the outdoor restaurant I once ate at. They have really good BLT's. Maybe I should get some after this, I am pretty hungry. Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything at all today. Nah, I don't have enough jewels, I spent it on the ice cream. Focus Ash!

I smacked my head so I would stop thinking about food. Bad idea. A sharp pain radiated where I had banged it during the crash. I groaned, and reminded myself to get some aspirin while I was at it.

I entered through the glass doors of the drugstore, my hair wild from the wind. I grabbed one of their tote bags and dashed over to the medical section.

"Cold medicine…Flu shots…inhaler…" I scanned the shelves.

I ended up throwing a bundle of bandages, gauze, pain medication, aspirin, and a lollipop into the tote bag and was about to bounce back into the mysterious forest when I heard someone shout my name.

"Astrid!" A familiar voice said once again.

It was Rogue, of all people, with Sting behind him. He looked happy, like really happy. Like I had died and come back to life kind of happy. Why was he so happy? He rarely smiled. I was too focused on getting the medical supplies back to Liz than wondering why his happy expression just turned into a worried one so I just waved goodbye and left.

* * *

**_~Castle~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I opened each locked door with the two pins I had brought from the yellow room. Some of them were storage closets, others were bedrooms. But none of them was the kitchen. I sighed and leaned against a pillar, almost out of hope when I smelt…is that chicken?

I excitedly jumped up and walked down the hall, when I turned the corner however I ran into someone.

"Damon?" A familiar voice asked.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. Apparently, I'm a princess." She rolled her eyes.

"No way, I'm a prince!" I exclaimed.

She burst out laughing.

"What? Is there something on my face?" I started wiping my mouth, even though I hadn't eaten anything all day. Maybe it was drool…

"Your clothes! You look so ridiculous!" She laughed.

I looked down and remembered what I had on and my face turned red. Then I took a look at what she was wearing.

"Speak for yourself!" I laughed.

She too looked down and her face turned to color of her ruffled dress.

We were on the floor now, making fun of each other's attire. Our laughter echoed throughout the halls. Sometime later, we settled down and wiped our tears.

"Okay," Lucy sighed. "We've got to find a way of here."

"_After_ we eat." I suggested.

"Right," she said as I pulled her up off of the cold ceramic floor.

And then the search for the source of the chicken aroma began.

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I got to the forest and collapsed in front of Liz. I could pass out right now if I wanted to, but no, I had to give Liz her stupid bandages for her stupid wound that she got for stupid reasons.

"Here." I threw the tote bag over to her.

"It's about time," she huffed and took the bag.

Dumping out the contents, she took the one object that caught her eye.

"Ooh! A lollipop!" Her face brightened.

"Hey! I got that for me!" I growled.

"Sheesh, calm down, it's only a lollipop. You probably stole it anyways." She sucked on it.

"Shut up." I grunted. She was right, but I didn't care.

My head was really starting to hurt, and the only thing I had to eat was an ice cream _scoop._ It wasn't even a deluxe! Then again, Liz only had a lollipop to eat. At least she has magical power; I only have like five percent left.

"_Someone_ has an attitude." Liz scooted away from me.

"If you're going to be that way, then fine. You can put those bandages on yourself and I'll just go back to Clementine. Oh and, your _welcome."_

"Ash wait, you're in no condition to go back." Liz pointed out.

"I. Don't. Care."

And really, I didn't. I just wanted to get out of this stupid forest. Every muscle in my body was telling me to rest but I'm a stubborn person, so I pictured the lollipop stand at the drugstore in my head and whispered "See ya Liz."

* * *

**_~Castle~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We were running. There must have been some sort of booby trap somewhere because as soon as Damon opened the doors to the heavenly kitchen an alarm went off. An alarm that alerted the metal knight suits that lined the halls to come chasing after us.

I mean, seriously, there wasn't even anyone _in _the suits.

"Why are they chasing us?" Damon asked. "Aren't we like the prince and princess?"

"Well not really! We're not even supposed to be here!" I answered. "Look! Let's hide in there!"

I opened a nearby door and locked the bolt once me and Damon had gotten in. But when I turned around, I noticed that this wasn't an ordinary room.

All of the walls, all four of the walls were solid metal.

"Um, Luce? I think we should leave…" Damon trailed off and slowly walked towards the now metal door.

"Yeah, good idea." I unlocked it and turned the knob.

Only the door wouldn't open. The only way to lock the door is from the inside so why won't it budge? I heard a buzzer and slowly turned around. My face paled when I saw two parallel walls begin to move closer to each other, and closer, and closer.

_*And the prince and princess lived happily ever after, just like how it should be*_

An intercom went off. _'What kind of fairy tale kills off the main characters?'_ I thought.

"Damon! Through that window!" I pointed towards a window the size of a laundry basket.

"You first," he said.

"No, you first." I argued.

"Bu-" I cut him off.

"I'm telling Liz." I smirked.

"So what? She can't do anything to hurt me." Damon looked confused.

"Oh really? Remember that time when you were sipping tea, pinkie out?" I grinned.

His face paled as he remembered the even that happened not too long ago...Liz morphing into him and acting like a well mannered lady. There was no lock or latch for the window to open so he kicked the glass and brushed off the shattered pieces.

"It's a three story drop." He looked at me.

"Oh come on, it's just a little more from that time at Satan's Belly, now _GO_." I shoved him out.

He landed with a heavy thud. I heard him groan in pain so I guess he survived. Now, my turn. I looked out of the window and gulped. Three stories _is_ a pretty far drop.

"C'mon Luce! Hurry up before you get crushed!" Damon called out.

"Uh, maybe I could just use my tiara to carve a hole out of the metal door, I think they're diamonds." I suggested.

"No time! If you're scared I'll catch you!" He held out his arms.

"Ehh…" I looked from the window, to the walls, to the door. "Fine! But you better catch me!"

I jumped out and braced myself for the pain, which did in fact come. I groaned and sat up, clutching my right shoulder. I landed five feet away from Damon, who looked mortified.

"Sorry! I thought I could catch you!" he apologized.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder." I groaned.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I landed on the lollipop stand and used it for support. Looking around, I saw that Rogue and Sing had left. I snuck a few lollipops in my jacket and left the store before anyone noticed. I grew even more lightheaded and tired every minute.

Walking past the outdoor restaurant, I noticed a dark familiar figure come up to me.

"Rogue?" I muttered, black spots dancing across my vision.

My knees gave out from exhaustion and I was falling, that is until I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and lift me up. By this time I think I heard someone calling my name, but this was probably just a dream, a really good dream.

* * *

**Ah, a little RoguexAstrid going on here.**

**Ha ha~ You thought Damon was going to catch her!**

**Review! It's not that hard, really!**

**Bye! ~**


	33. She Did What!

**Yes! The risky week of updating or not has ended! I also posted a new story earlier today, check it out? I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I grunted in pain as I tried to get up off of the ground.

"I'll help you up if you want." Damon offered his hand.

"No thanks." I pushed myself up. "Okay, time to get out of these ridiculous clothes. Gate of the maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" I used one of the keys in my overly ruffled sash.

"Punishment Princess?" Virgo asked.

"No! I need you to get me and Damon some clothes from the spirit world please." I gestured to our attire.

"Hai, Princess." Virgo left.

"You punish your spirits?" Damon asked.

"No! It's just this thing Virgo says." I explained.

"So…you punish Virgo only?"

"No, she always asks for it, I never give it to her." I sighed.

"Here you go hime." Virgo handed each of us a set of new clothes. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I think my shoulder is dislocated for certain reasons," I glared at Damon "Can you like, pop it back into place?"

"Hai, hime." Virgo placed both hands on my upper arm and pushed up.

"Th-Thanks Virgo, you can go back now." I rubbed my now sore shoulder.

"Hai," she bowed in disappeared in a shimmering golden light.

"Yo Lucy, take a look at this." Damon pointed to the 'castle'.

What looked like a castle on the inside was actually a rundown building, just like Satan's Magic. There was a sign that was messily boarded up _'A Fairy Tale Ending'_ it said.

"Ha, as if." I grunted.

We walked off in separate ways off into the forest to change. I wore a dark blue tank top with star designs at the bottom and a pair of denim shorts. I tied the navy bow into my hair and slipped on a pair of sneakers.

When I walked back to the fake castle, Damon was waiting for me in plain jeans, a grey T-shirt, and converse.

"Okay," I sighed "Let's go find Ash and Liz."

* * *

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

Hmm, you spread gauze on the wound first right? I twisted the cap off of the container and began to cover the wounded area with the gel stuff. I winced in pain but I managed to cover the area. Ok, next, you wrap the bandages around the wound. This should be easy; I unraveled the bundle and began to wrap it around my leg.

Now what? Ooh, pain medication. My leg really hurts; I guess I should take one dose. And look its says twelve years old or older. But there should be an adult present, eh. I popped one of the pills into my mouth and swallowed it.

Ew, that tasted really bad. I sucked on the strawberry flavored lollipop Astrid got for me. I wonder how she's doing, she probably feels horrible with the whole injury and magical energy thing. She'll make it out alive, if she doesn't, who will I call fattie?

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been a few hours since we've been hiking through this forest and still no sign of Liz or Astrid. We found berries by a small river and stopped there for a while. I caught a fish, but I couldn't find anything to descale it with, and all of the wood here was too damp to make a fire, so I just tossed it back in.

We passed a bed of flowers that looked like it was trampled over and not too long after that we came to a clearing with some of the train wreckage and drops of blood. Then I spotted the bag that held all of our money, so Astrid must be nearby.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and put some berries inside just in case we got hungry again. I trampled over the dead weeds and my eyes caught the unique color of violet through all of the dull green that surrounded me.

"Is that Liz?" I peered through the brush.

Sure enough it was looks like she wasn't hurt in any areas. I ended up with a nasty cut in my arm and Damon's leg was slightly sprained. Wait, what's with all the blood?

"Lizzy!" Damon ran over towards the unconscious girl.

"Liz!" I saw that her leg was messily bandaged up.

"Huh? What year is it?" Liz woke up and looked around with hazy eyes.

"Lizzy what happened to your leg?!" Damon looked horrified.

"Oh, that was Astrid." Liz sucked on a lollipop. "She stabbed me with her dagger."

"She did _what_?!" Me and Damon exclaimed.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

_"Welcome back tooooo…..Trivia!" A young man in a suit exclaimed. "And heeere is our final contestant…Astriiiid Moonlea!"_

_The audience went wild._

_"Now Astrid, how does it feel to be on the most popular game show in Fiore and only have one question left before you win your prize?" He asked._

_"Well, I feel like I can take on the world!" I exclaimed, I was on a roll._

_"What an excellent response! Now, final question. What year did all the dragons disappear?" The man asked._

_"That is a trick question; all dragons disappeared in the year X777 on July 7__th__. But there have been two sightings of a black dragon with blue designs, also known as Acnologia!" I answered._

_"You are correct! And here we are, the moment you've all been waiting for…" There was a drumroll. "The winner for this year's Trivia is Astrid Moonlea! And her prize is a life time supply of ice cream!"_

_There was confetti explosions that could be heard for miles, that is until, a little girl with violet hair walked up on stage._

_"I have an objection!" She declared._

_"Liz! What are you doing in my dream?!" I growled._

_"Astrid's prize shall be donated to the one and only Elizabeth in payment for my leg injury." Liz completely ignored me._

_"I see, Elizabeth wins all!" The announcer boomed._

_"What?!" I felt my blood run cold. "Liz, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"_

"-trid! Astrid!" I heard a voice.

Someone was shaking me; I was in the worst mood possible right now.

"WHAT?!" I snapped.

Opening my eyes I saw Rogue with a worried expression.

"Whoa, how'd I get here?!" I sat up quickly but then I felt dizzy.

"You need to rest; your head wound hasn't completely healed yet." He explained. "What's wrong? It seemed like you were in a nightmare."

"Something like that." I felt my blood boil.

Even in my dreams Liz has to ruin everything.

"Where am I?" Even lying down, I can tell I was in a very…dark room.

"My hotel suite." Rogue replied. "Thirsty?" He held out a glass of water.

"No thanks, you have a hotel suite?" I tried to get made up but he pushed me back down.

"Rest, and yeah, an apartment was too much to pay for. Sting's suite is right next to mine."

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Five hours." He looked at the black wall clock.

"Five?! I've got to go check up on Liz, as much as I don't want to…" I mumbled to last part.

"No, you might have a concussion for all I know, and I don't want to lose you again." I spotted a light tint of pink on his cheeks.

"What do you mean lose me? And _again_?" I was confused.

"It's a long story, are you hungry?" He was avoiding the topic.

"Not real- wait, can I have some ice cream? Strawberry is preferred." Eh, why not take advantage of the situation?

"Ice cream? Sure, STING GO GET SOME STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM!" He suddenly shouted.

"I DON'T WANT TO, GET IT YOURSELF!" Sting shouted from the other room.

"IT'S FOR ASTRID!" Rogue argued.

"WELL YOU CAN GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND SOME ICE CREAM YOURSELF!" Sting yelled.

I swear I could hear the smirk through his words. Rogue instantly flushed a bright red, and when I felt my face heat up I'm sure I wore the same expression. I quickly turned over and covered my head with a black blanket.

"Nah, it's okay, not that hungry." I mumbled.

I heard Rogue walked out of the suite mumbling something about Lucy and Sting getting together but I must have imagined it. Maybe I should go check on Liz…but then again I'm injured. It's nothing serious really, huh, I never really did get a look at it.

I tried to get up again but that I would just feel woozy, so I crawled out of bed and landed on the floor, I looked around. Once the coast was clear, I searched for the bathroom and found one. I was surprised that it wasn't black, but white. I used the counter to pull myself up.

In the end, I never did get so see my head wound, it was all bandaged up. I grunted in disappointment and fell back to the floor. Hm, the floor was probably dirty…

I crawled back over to the bed and pulled myself up, but I ran out of energy halfway. Even though I was physically weak at the moment, I can tell that my magical power has been restored. I could bounce back from here to the forest ten times if I wanted.

"What were you doing?" I voice asked.

Whipping my head around, I saw Sting sitting in one of the lounge chairs eating a chocolate bar.

"None of your business." I grunted.

I wouldn't want to worry Rogue if he comes back, so I'll just check up on her, yeah, a checkup. Closing my eyes, I imagined an annoying Liz eating _my_ lollipop. I heard Sting shout something like 'Where do you think you're going?' and I chuckled.

"She did _what?!_" I heard two voices.

Uh oh, this can't be good.

I stepped back behind a tree to hide, but it was too late. I stepped on a stick and three heads turned my way. One blonde head in particular looked pretty pissed off.

"Astrid, how nice of you to have joined us." Lucy said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Hey, Luce when'd you get here?" I laughed nervously.

"Just now." He face grew dark.

Well don't I just have the perfect timing?

"So what's this about stabbing Lizzy? Damon huffed.

"It's not my fault! Lucy, she shape shifted into my uncle, of all people. And then said 'I am going to kill you Astrid!' while waving around my dagger." I explained.

"Liz?" Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked at Liz.

"Eheh, I may have left a few details out." Liz scratched her head.

"But still! You don't just go stabbing people!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Calm down Luce, I was still a little out of it." I pointed to my head bandages.

"This? I got it from-" I suddenly remembered that this was just a quick checkup.

Sting could have alerted Rogue that I had left already. And my head was starting to throb now, I should be getting back and rest.

"Uhh, it was nice knowing that you guys were alive but I've really got to get going…" I closed my eyes, ready to go back to the comfy black bed.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy objected and grabbed my arm.

I landed on a soft surface and Lucy landed on me.

"Ugh! Luce get off of me!" I pushed her off the bed.

Instead of landing on the floor, she landed into the arms of another blonde. It was then that I noticed Sting and Rogue were in the room and- oh is that a bowl of strawberry ice cream I see?

"Lucy?!"

* * *

** Hehe, now I can assure you that there will be an update tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day…**

**Review! You don't have to, but it'd be nice…**

**Don't forget! New story! R & R please!**

**Bye! ~**


	34. Join Sabertooth?

**Haha, see? I updated! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Ugh! Luce get off me!" Astrid pushed me off of the black bed we landed on.

Instead of falling on the hard wooden floor I fell on something firm and sort of warm.

"Lucy?!" A shocked voice said.

"Sting?" I was surprised that it was him. "When did you get here?"

I looked around and saw Rogue lecturing Astrid that she needed rest, but Astrid completely ignored him and dove for the bowl of strawberry ice cream sitting on the dresser.

"Lucy." Sting whispered and hugged me tightly.

"Yeah, that's my name." What was going on exactly?

I winced in pain when he hugged me even tighter. The wound that I had gotten in my right arm from that piece of glass was still there. Sting noticed and let go.

"What happened?!" He examined my arm.

"Well, when you're in a train collision there's a good chance you might get hurt." I pointed out.

"Right." He left to get some bandages most likely. "Astrid, we have to go back, we sort of just left Damon and Liz." I reminded her.

"Who's Damon?" Rogue looked at the both of us.

"Well he's this guy we me-" I was cut off.

Sting had just come out of the bathroom with a bandage in hand.

"Who is this Damon guy?" He questioned.

"He's this guy we saved from Satan's Belly." I continued. "We met his sister Elizabeth and helped her get him out."

"So he's the reason there was that huge explosion." Sting concluded.

"No, that was Astrid's doing." I glanced at her.

"But you guys did it for him, what is he to you?" Rogue questioned.

"Sort of like a brother I guess." I thought.

The two sighed in relief, why? I have no idea.

"Weirdo's." Astrid muttered. "Oi, Luce, we should get back to the two idiots. I finished my ice cream so…"

"Yeah, you're right." I got up off of the floor, only to be pulled back down by Sting.

"I just got you back; I'm not letting you go." He hugged me again.

"Uh, Ash? A little help here." I tried to bring my face back to its normal color.

"Nah, you look comfortable." She grinned.

"Ash!" I hissed.

"Alright, alright. I'm just going to talk to Damon and Liz for a moment; this is going to take a while.

And then she was gone.

* * *

**_~Team Natsu~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The train wreckage had been cleared off and three gloomy mages, plus a cat, waited at the station for their train to arrive. That is until a smell like no other, strawberry vanilla, hit a certain Dragon Slayer. And without a word, he bolted towards where the scent was coming from.

With no explanation, the two remaining mages, plus a cat, followed soon after.

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"And there you go." Sting finished wrapping the bandage around my arm.

"Thanks, but I could have done it myself y'know." I sat on the black bed. "This is a really dark apartment." I looked around.

"Yeah, Rogue is into that kind of stuff. This is his suite, mine is next door." Sting opened the black fridge. "Hungry?"

"Yeah, do you have a-" I didn't get to finish because the door slammed open.

"LUCE?!" And excited voice questioned.

The first this I actually saw was a blob of pink and a streak of white, and that was all it took for me to know who it was. Next thing I knew, I was tackled down into a bone crushing hug.

"Luce? Why aren't you saying anything?" He looked worried.

"I c-cant br-breathe." I gasped out.

"Oh." He loosened his hold, but he didn't let go. "I missed you so much." He buried his head into the crook of my neck.

"Yeah, um, me too." I patted his back. "You can let go now."

I tried to wriggle myself free from his tight embrace, but no such luck.

"No way Luce, I'm never going to let you go, ever." He held me tighter. "I missed you so much Luce." He said again.

"And I didn't miss you one bit, now get off of her you flame headed idiot!" Astrid had appeared once again.

"Astrid, you didn't have to do that." I glared at her.

"I know, but I wanted to." She shrugged.

"Oh, you're here too." Natsu looked at her. "And what are you doing with my Luce?!" He growled at Sting.

Is it me or did her just say I was his?

"_She's_ the one who came to me." Sting smirked.

"Not on purpose!" I spoke up.

"Aww Luce, you make it sound like you don't want to be with me." Sting said in a deep, seductive voice.

"Wh-What are you ta-talking ab-bout?" I sputtered.

I felt my face heat up hotter that Natsu's fire.

"Yeah, what are you talking about? Like I said before, Luce. Is_. Mine_." Natsu growled.

"I wouldn't be so sure; you haven't even claimed her yet." Sting smirked and crossed his arm.

Oh god I was panicking right now. What is this whole 'me belonging to Natsu'? What does Sting mean when he says 'claim'? I can't tell if this is a nightmare or a really good dream.

"Tch, I leave for less than one minute and when I come back, two guys are all over you." Astrid shook her head.

"Ha, the great Salamander is speechless for once. I don't think there will ever be a chance you get to claim her; after all, she left your petty little guild. She may even join ours." Sting sneered.

"She will not!" Natsu argued.

"How can you be so sure?" Sting grinned at me.

The room went silent and all heads turned towards me.

"Wh-What?" I was spaced out for the past thirty seconds, so I had no idea what was going on. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" that's when realization hit me. "Do I have something on my face?! Astrid! Why didn't you tell me before?"

I got up and looked at the mirror that hung on the black wall.

"Wait a minute….there's nothing on my face! Guys, don't scare me like that." I was relieved.

"Ok, now what were we talking about again?" I sat on the bed.

"Oi, Lucy want to come join Sabertooth?" Sting asked.

Say what?

* * *

**Gihi, a cliffhanger for you!**

**I already know what the answer is going to be, it's kind of obvious really…**

**Reviews! I put in a NaLu ****_and_**** Sticy moment so I think I deserve one**

**Bye! ~**


	35. The Answer

**The moment you've all been waiting for, Lucy's answer! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Is it me, or did Sting just ask me to join Sabertooth?

"…What?" I was still processing this new information.

"Join Sabertooth Luce." Sting said once again.

"Hmm, can you give me a few moments? I need to talk this over with Astrid." I decided.

We walked out of the black suite and closed the door behind us.

"I want to talk about this with Damon and Liz for a moment, let's go." I whispered.

We teleported to the unknown forest and found Damon re-bandaging Liz's wound. I glared at Astrid once again, I leave for less than a day and someone gets stabbed, ridiculous.

"Hey guys, you wouldn't believe what just happened." I broke out into a wide grin.

"What? Did Astrid buy so much ice cream that the store was sold out? Not surprising." Liz smirked.

"Do you _want_ to get stabbed again?" Astrid stepped forward.

"What I was _saying_ is," I huffed. "Sting asked me to join his guild."

"What?!" The two siblings exclaimed.

"I know right? Why on Earthland would I join a guild that beat me up? I mean sure I have two friends in there but still. No way Jose." I laughed.

"Yeah, I don't like that Minerva chick, beating you up, and her snobby attitude." Astrid clenched her fist.

"And even if I did say yes, what about you guys? I can't just leave. Plus, Sabertooth hates fairies, err, Fairy Tail, I don't exactly _hate_ them, just a little upset still." I pointed out.

"So you're going to go back and decline?" Liz asked hopefully.

"Not yet, I want to make it seem like it's a really hard decision for me to make, and that I don't know ether to choose Fairy Tail or Sabertooth." I smirked.

"Wow Lucy, you're kind of mean. What happened?" Astrid raised her eyebrows.

"I think I got it from you…" I murmured.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"She's going to say yes." Sting smirked.

"No, she isn't, she's coming back to Fairy Tail with us." Natsu argued.

Erza, Gray, and Happy had come in just a few seconds ago.

"What's going on here?" Titania demanded.

"Nothing, Luce is joining Sabertooth that's all." Sting shrugged.

"What?!" Erza boomed and Gray tried to keep his pokerface.

"Lushee." Happy looked down sadly.

"No, she isn't." Natsu growled.

"Well why not? Sabers would never betray a guild mate." Sting scoffed.

"Sabers don't even treat their guild mates like nakama, remember Yukino? Lucy would never want that." Gray glared.

"It's better that being treated like trash from the people you call family." Sing sneered.

"It's not like we meant for that to happen!" Erza shouted.

"Well it did, right Rogue?" Sting looked at the mage that hadn't uttered a word.

Rogue just grunted in response and leaned against the dark grey colored wall.

"Lucy wouldn't join Sabertooth, ever. Remember Minerva? What she did to Lucy?" Natsu said.

"That was months ago, it doesn't matter anymore." Sting scoffed.

"Lucy left Fairy Tail months ago, yet it still matters." Gray said.

"And whose fault is that again?" Sting cocked his head to the side.

"It was an accident, it won't happen again." Erza stated.

"_That what she said_." Sting mumbled.

"What was that?" Erza raised sword.

"Nothing." Sting shrugged. "So flame head, if Lucy isn't going to join Sabertooth, then why is it taking her so long to decide on her answer?" He smirked.

"…"

"Speechless are we?" Sting leaned back.

"Luce is coming with us." Natsu's bangs covered his eyes. "She has to." He clenched his fist.

"Because she is a member of Fairy Tail!" He shouted.

"Oh really? Last I checked, she had no insignia." Sting pointed to his guild mark.

"One a member of Fairy Tail, always a member." Gray commented.

"We'll just see about that when she says yes to my offer." Sting grinned.

"When who says yes to what?" Another voice sounded.

In came in Astrid and a nervous Lucy.

"Tell me, what's all this useless bickering about?" Astrid cocked her hip.

"Bickering? We were just agreeing about how Luce is joining Sabertooth." Sting shrugged.

Team Natsu was currently hugging the life out of Lucy, so they didn't have time to argue.

"Astrid, heeelp meee!" Lucy poked her hand out of what looked like a dog pile instead of a hug.

"What's up?" Astrid leaned on the wall next to Rogue, ignoring her cousin's plea for help.

"Idiots won't stop arguing." Rogue grunted.

"It's amusing." Astrid smirked at Sting, who unsuccessfully attempted to free Lucy.

"I guess." He shrugged.

"Ow! Happy! Your claws are sharper that you think ya know!" Lucy shouted.

"Sorry Lushee, I missed you so much!" Happy hugged her tighter.

"It's not the same without you." Erza smiled softly.

"The guild isn't as lively." Gray commented.

"Really?" Lucy was surprised.

She didn't know she had such a big effect on everyone.

"Yeah, you're really important to us Luce." Natsu smiled his toothy grin.

Lucy blushed at that, tears brimming her eyes. Natsu smelt her tears and his happy smile turned into a worried frown.

"What's wrong Luce?" He searched her face.

"N-Nothing, I'm just so happy." She smiled and the tears ran down her face.

"You're weird Luce." Natsu grinned again.

"Lucy," Astrid sighed. "Getting all emotional over the little things."

"Now that this is all over." Sting interrupted their reunion. "Lucy still has to answer me."

Lucy sighed and got up off of the floor where she was tackled down on with hugs. Wiping her tears she took a breath. Astrid attempted to hide her smirk, but she couldn't keep a straight face. Rogue noticed this and smirked himself, already knowing the answer.

"Okay, it took a while, but I've come to a conclusion." Lucy sat on the bed.

_'Geez, no need to be so professional.'_ Astrid thought, mentally scoffing.

Sting leaned in so he could hear her 'Yes' clearly, Team Natsu waited for Lucy to turn down the offer, Astrid and Rogue were amused by the situation, and Lucy was using all of her strength to keep her pokerface and not burst out in laugher saying 'Of course not.'

"Let me tell you this, it wasn't an easy decision." She let out a half-hearted laugh.

Sting and Team Natsu were starting to get antsy, itching for her answer.

"My answer is," pause for suspense "Uh, no." She said bluntly.

"See? I told you she would say ye-" Sting said immediately. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me, no." Lucy shrugged. "C'mon Ash, we have to get ba-"

"LUCYYYY!" Team Natsu tackled her down once more.

"Ack!" Lucy fell back. "Really guys, I have to get back. Damon and Liz aren't going to wait forever."

"Who's Damon?" Natsu's ears perked up.

"Ugh, here we go again." Astrid groaned.

Rogue chuckled.

"Is he the one that kidnapped you?! Where is he?" Natsu frantically searched the room.

"Natsu, calm down he's just this guy I've been travelling with." Lucy explained.

"For how long?! Who is he to you?!" Natsu demanded.

"Calm. Down. He's just like a brother to me, that's all." Lucy said slowly.

"Another brother, you mean like a replacement for me?" Gray looked hurt.

"And this Liz, she's a replacement for me too?" Erza looked down.

"No! It's not like that!" Lucy denied. "You guys will always be family, no matter how much we argue." Lucy said.

That seemed to have cheered the two up.

"Do you have a replacement for me Lushee?" Happy pouted.

"No, Happy." Lucy smiled. "Your one of a kind, not counting all of the other exceeds."

"Well that's comforting." Happy said sarcastically.

"Okay, um, bye?" Lucy waved.

"Wait!" Sting exclaimed. "Why not give me a hug, I am your friend after all."

"I don't see why not." Lucy shrugged.

Natsu let out a low growl almost inaudible, but it didn't go unnoticed. Sting smirked at the jealous fool and pulled Lucy into a tight embrace that lasted a little too long.

"*Ahem* you should uh, get going." Natsu interrupted them.

"Oh right." Lucy let go, blushing.

This only angered the fire mage more.

"See ya Rogue." Astrid fist bumped him.

But after their fists made contact, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"Don't. Die." He grunted.

"O-Of course not." Astrid stuttered out.

_'Damn, stop stuttering! Straight face, tone that blush down! Stop acting like Lucy!'_ Astrid gave herself a mental pep talk before he let go.

Astrid walked over to where Lucy was and Lucy waved, and then they were gone.

"Oi, fame head," Sting pulled Natsu's arm and whispered into his ear. "Just because she didn't say yes, doesn't mean I won't make her mine." He hissed.

"Oh we'll see about that." Natsu smirked.

That overconfident idiot, you never know when someone might swoop by and steal your prize away.

* * *

**I had so much fun writing this chapter!**

**Review! Re-read the summary you Sticy lovers! But NaLu still has a higher chance…**

**Bye! ~**


	36. Can You Teach Us?

**So I get ambushed by more NaLu and Sticy requests, good thing I made it out alive or else I wouldn't be able continue. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

They were on the move. After all, they couldn't just camp out at that same spot forever. Lucy slung Liz's right arm over her shoulders to help the injured girl walk.

"What took you guys so long?" Damon asked. "You were gone for a while, all Luce had to say was no and come back right?"

"Eh, things got emotional. For Lucy, that is." Astrid shrugged.

"Oh yeah? You seemed to be having your own little moment yourself." Lucy smirked.

"You're just imagining things" Astrid denied. "What were you and Damon doing by the way? When Liz was stabbed?"

"Oh, um in a castle…" Lucy muttered.

"I told you that you were just imagining things." She grinned.

"It was this weird illusion thing, not an actual castle. It was a messed up place really." Damon explained.

"You're a messed up person." Astrid muttered.

"What?" He glanced at her.

"Nothing, look we've got to find you two an apartment right? That's the whole reason we got on that suicidal train in the first place." She suddenly remembered.

"Yeah, but we have no money remember? You were so careless and clumsy that you lost the bag." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Careless_? Clumsy_?" did she just hear her correctly? "I was a victim of a train accident, so don't go telling me that it's my fault we have no jewels." Astrid scoffed.

"Ugh, guys." Lucy held up a familiar bag. "Me and Damon found it before we found you guys so no need to argue." She sweat dropped.

"Great, so we stop by the nearest place, dump them there along with a couple of jewels, ice cream, and then we're leaving." Astrid decided.

"No," Lucy glared at me. "We'll search before civilization, then we'll take a look around for an apartment, give them a few hundred thousand jewels to start off with, and spend the rest of the day together before we part ways." Lucy planned out.

"A couple hundred thousand jewels?" Astrid gawked. "That's way too much!"

"We still have over half the amount from that time when we won a million." Lucy reminded.

"You guys were millionaires?" Damon's jaw dropped.

"But my way is so much easier! And quicker too." Astrid grumbled, ignoring the redhead.

"No one likes your ideas Ash." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Oi, who gave you permission to call me that?" She hissed.

"I did." Liz scoffed.

"Well I do-" Lucy cut Astrid off.

"Guys just stop it; you're giving me a migraine." Lucy sighed.

"Hey Luce, can we learn teleportation magic like you and Astrid?" Damon asked rather eagerly.

"Why?" Lucy wondered.

"Well, it'd be quicker to come visit you in Mangolia right? You're going to Mangolia after this? And whenever you guys just go off to Clementine like last time, at least we'd be able to follow." He pointed out.

"Good point, but if you want to learn it then you have to ask Astrid, she's the one who taught it to me and I'm not the best at teaching." Lucy let out a nervous chuckle.

"What? Why me?" Astrid frowned.

"So you're going to teach us?" He smiled hopefully.

"Why would I? You already have a lost magic, it'd be unfair if you got two." She grunted.

"But still, please?" He pleaded.

"Hmm, only if _Lizzy_ here begs me to." She smirked.

"No way!" Liz huffed and looked the other way.

"Lizzy!" Damon exclaimed. "Be nice for her for once!"

A few silent moments passed and Liz was contemplating weather to beg or not. Seeing that she really didn't have a choice, Damon could be pretty mean if he wanted to every once in a while.

"Fine." Liz grunted. "Astrid _please_ I'm _begging_ you can you teach me and my brother teleportation magic? I would _really_ appreciate it." Liz pleaded.

"Hm, well if you put it like _that_, I guess I could teach you a little..." Astrid was enjoying herself. "After you go pick me some berries."

"What?" Liz winded her eyes.

"Liz, don't argue, you're lucky you don't have to cook fish." Lucy said.

"Well, its looks to be about seven already, so we'd better settle down before night fall. Liz, go get some berries. Damon, fish. Lucy, eat this lollipop" Astrid ordered.

Damon had some difficulty with the fish, so Lucy had to pitch in and help. Liz picked a bunch of poisonous berries, so Astrid had to get some edible ones.

"You guys wouldn't survive one day out in the wilderness alone." Astrid took a bite out of her fish.

"Well, at least we tried." Liz pouted.

"Tomorrow we wake up early so you can learn the magic stuff." Astrid popped a few berries in her mouth.

"And when she says wake up early, she means it." Lucy piped up, remembering the first time she overslept.

After their meal, they climbed up a tall tree and slept on separate branches. Damon fell out once, but apparently no one heard, he was too tired to climb up again so he just laid there.

When morning came around, Astrid was first to wake, she jumped out of the tree and landed on something soft. Her vision was still a bit blurry so she started kicking the thing.

"Ow" It said.

Astrid's vision finally cleared and she looked at Damon.

"What are you doing here?" She peered at the boy.

"I fell." He said.

"Tch." Astrid tched "Liz isn't up yet?"

"Nope." Lucy hopped down from the tree.

"Hehe." Astrid cracked her knuckled.

She half jumped, half climbed up the tree and began shaking Liz's branch.

"What the- kya!" Liz fell out of the tree and landed on her butt.

"What was that for?" she stood up.

"You woke up late." Astrid shrugged. "Now that we're all awake, we can start this stupid training and get it over with." Astrid huffed.

"I'm going to go find something to eat." Lucy left the scene.

"I'm hungry too! Liz whined.

"Ok guys, now close your eyes." Astrid began, ignoring Liz's complaint.

* * *

**This chapter was more of a transition to the story's next events, as you can tell, nothing major really happened.**

**I'm thinking that if I am not able to make this NaLu/Sticy then I will write a separate ending for NaLu/Sticy once the story is finished to make you all hammy, hm?**

**Review? :3**

**Bye! ~**


	37. Lost

**Here we are with the next chapter! I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~3 month Timeskip!~_**

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Well it's about time." I scoffed.

It took three months, three lousy months for these two idiots to teleport. Lucy only took two weeks! We moved around quite a bit while training, so I can assume that we're somewhere in the northwestern region of Fiore.

And in the past three months not once did we come near civilization; it was like god hated me and wanted me to suffer with the company of Liz. And she was so stubborn too! Whenever she failed, which happened often, she would pout and whine, throwing mini tantrums.

Whenever I'd ask Lucy for a little help with the brat, she just says that she's helping Damon and walks away, like the coward she is.

But finally, Liz was able to teleport to the top of a redwood tree, jump down from the highest branch, and teleport in front of me a few seconds before she hit the ground. Impressive.

Damon, however, was able to teleport a month ago. He still needed a little practice when it came to concentration; otherwise he was pretty good at this.

"Luuucy!" I called over the blonde. "Liz finally succeeded; can we look for a place to dump them now?"

"You mean help them find an apartment? Yeah." Lucy shrugged.

"But we haven't seen another human being in months." Damon pointed out.

"That's because I wasn't really looking, now that I can get rid of you guys, you'll be out of my hair in less than a week." I beamed.

"Oh we'll see about that." Liz muttered.

**_~Six day Timeskip!~_**

**_~Avena~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

And I was in fact, right. It only took me six days to find civilization. I would have missed the city entirely if it weren't for the loud ruckus they were all causing. With all the colorful streamers and masks and decorations hanging about.

We were in a city called Avena, that's what the sign said.

"What's going on here?" Lucy bypassed a man juggling oranges with bright blue face paint.

"Didn't you hear?" An old lady came up to us. "The Hanami celebration is this evening."

"Hanami celebration?" Liz said. "What's that?"

"No way," Lucy's eyes sparkled. "I didn't know it was today!"

"What's a Hanami celebration?" Damon asked.

"It's a celebration for charka or was it baka? Asthma? Something like that…" I thought.

"No," Lucy looked at me weirdly. "It's a celebration for the _sakura _trees, their blooming." Lucy beamed.

"Yay, trees bloom. I feel bad for the people who have allergies." I shook my head.

"I've never been to one," Lucy went on. "I was always stuck in the stupid mansion, and then when I got to Fairy Tail, I was sick on the day of the celebration, but then Natsu dug up that rainbow sakura and put it on a boat so I could see…." Lucy trailed off, a small smile on her face from the memory.

"Huh, seems like a nice guy, too bad he kicked you out." Damon mentioned.

"Yeah, why would anyone want to get rid of someone as cool as you?" Liz nodded her head.

"They must have been delusional at the time, or high." I pointed out.

"Here we go again," Lucy groaned. "Stop saying that stuff about them, they aren't that bad."

"That's what she said." Damon muttered, but Lucy didn't catch that.

"I still don't understand why you forgave them. You should have joined some other guild instead of Fairy Tail. Like Lamia Scale, or that Blue Pegasus you mentioned before." I shrugged.

"What? No, Fairy Tail is the only guild for me." Lucy declined. "Plus there are those three playboys in Blue Pegasus."

"Is that Lucy-chan?" A voice was heard.

The four of us turned our heads and saw a trio of guys. One with black hair and dark skin, another with blonde-ish hair and dark eyes, and last one looked to be the youngest, and shortest of the group. He had blonde hair and dark green looking eyes.

"Hibiki? Ren? Eve? What are you guys doing here?" Lucy gawked at the three.

The trio surrounded Lucy and started to flirt, yeah, they simply bypassed my evil glare to flirt with her.

"Who are you?" Liz pointed at them.

"Hibiki." Blondie said.

"Ren." The tanned one posed.

"Eve." Shorty waved.

"You're looking absolutely lovely today." Hibiki took Lucy's hand.

"Those clothes really suit you." Ren commented.

"May I call you Onee chan?" Eve asked.

Liz sweat dropped, Damon sweat dropped, Lucy sweat dropped, I, however did not.

"*Ahem*" I tapped my foot. "Mind telling me what's going on Luce?"

The three flirts turned their heads, as if noticing me for the first time.

"Is this what they call love at first sight?"

"Who is this beauty?"

"Is she an angel?"

I jerked my head in surprised and took a step back. Whoa, weren't they all over Lucy just a few seconds ago?

"Opposite of an angel actually." I glared at the three flirts.

"Blue Pegasus, eh?" I saw the insignia on Eve's left arm. "What are womanizers like you doing here?"

"We just finished our mission here, and were taking a break." Ren brushed the invisible dust off his shoulder.

I looked back at the direction they had come from, only to see a cluster of young women with hearts in their eyes. Some had looks of envy, dagger eyes aimed at me and Luce.

"Uh huh yeah." I averted their gaze. "Luce, we still have to find a place for the brats." I reminded her.

"Oh yeah, see you guys around maybe." Lucy waved goodbye.

"Lucy, where's your Fairy Tail guild mark?" Hibiki asked.

He had noticed that the pink mark on her right hand was missing.

"Oh, um I kind of left…" She bit her lip.

"I am sorry to hear that, it must have been a major loss to the mages of Fairy Tail." Hibiki looked down solemnly. "Why not join Blue Pegasus?"

"Yeah sure. Wait, what?" Lucy's eyes widened.

* * *

**_~Avena~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Did I hear what I think I just heard? Ha, as if I would let Liz hang around the three flirts. And I have no intentions to join a guild anytime soon. After all; I still have to get stronger.

"No." I shook my head.

"You were right Hibiki; she is smarter than the others." Eve sighed.

"What?" What does he mean smarter?

"You see, it's a little trick we play on the female mages that don't belong in a guild." Ren said.

"We ask them to join Blue Pegasus to see their reactions, so far, they've all said yes. You're the first to decline." Hibiki explained.

"That's a sick joke." Damon looked disgusted.

"Weirdos." Liz muttered.

"That's a bit, cruel." Astrid looked from the swooning women to the three womanizers.

"What about you miss?" The three crowded Astrid.

Hibiki got a punch to the face, Ren was kneed in the gut, and Eve was flicked in the forehead so hard he fell back.

"I don't think so, and don't even think about tricking Liz." She glared. "I didn't waste three months of my life just so she could get tricked."

"And you three are dead meat if you do such a thing to my sister." Damon growled.

I guess they got the message, because they sulked off towards the crowd of woman.

"Guys, you were embarrassing me, I can take care of myself." Liz mumbled, her cheeks tainted pink.

"Don't tell me you were going to say yes?!" Damon gawked.

"No!" Liz shook her head.

"Well, whatever. Now that they're gone, we search for the cheapest apartment." Astrid marched off.

"You mean best for them." I corrected her.

"Yeah yeah." Astrid ignored me.

We were searching for hours, but still no luck. The sakura tree lined streets were packed with people, making it hard to maneuver through the crowds and look for a good place.

"This is impossible." I muttered.

"Can we please get something to eat?" Liz whined.

"The stores and restaurants are full; it'll probably take an hour to wait in line, and another two to get the food." Damon said.

Astrid stayed silent. Although I could hear the faint murmuring of "Need….ice cream….going to….kill…Liz…"

"It's too bad this place doesn't have the rainbow sakura like Mangolia." I sighed.

"I didn't even know such a thing existed." Liz said in awe.

"Maybe we could go there next year…" I suggested.

Talking about Mangolia made me think of Fairy Tail. I wonder what they're doing.

* * *

**_~At the Guild~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

The guild was playing the annual bingo game, and like last year, Natsu didn't participate. Even though Lucy wasn't there last time to celebrate the Hanami since she was sick, at least he could do something for her then.

Macao was on a winning streak, unlike last time. Romeo was cheering him on. Jet and Droy were arguing on how they were going to win a present for Levy first. Juvia was ogling over Gray, and Erza was munching on her cake.

Natsu just sat there with Happy, who was nibbling on some fish. He thought about, yeah he was thinking, he thought about what Lucy could have been doing. It's been month's since he last saw her.

Was she at another Hanami festival? Or was she training to become stronger? Not that she needed to, she was strong enough. What if she was in a life threatening situation?! Or maybe he was just over thinking things.

"Natsu? What's wrong?" Happy looked up at the fire mage.

"Nothing, just thinking." He murmured.

But he said it loud enough for his team to hear, and they all burst out laughing.

"Good one Natsu!" Happy laughed.

"As if that flame head had the brains to actually think!" Gray wiped his tears of laughter.

"Shut up ice prick!"

* * *

**_~Avena~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It was almost nightfall and we had already watched the trees bloom, and the sakura petals blow in the breeze, it was really pretty. But there weren't any inns that had vacancy and an apartment still seemed to be out of question.

"I guess we'll just have to find another city." I sighed.

"What?! No, I'll find a place." Astrid searched the streets.

"There's no use, you'll just have to endure another few days with me." Liz skipped off into the direction of the forest.

Me and Damon followed, while Astrid sulked behind us.

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Hey, I think I've seen this tree before." Liz pointed to the big oak.

"No, you haven't." I growled.

"Uh yeah, I even carved a '+' with your dagger just in case we passed it for the fifth time." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Why do you have my dagger? Do you not remember what happened last time?" I snatched the weapon away from her.

"We're lost Ash." Lucy huffed.

"No we aren't we're heading southeast." I was always good when it came to directions.

"Southeast is the way we came from, we're going the wrong way." Damon sighed.

I stopped in my tracked and spun around, walking in a different northeast.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Liz whined.

"No, and I don't suppose you know either, so I suggest you to shut up." I grunted.

We continued on walking off into the northeast for about twenty minutes, the scenery hasn't changed and I have a feeling it will be a long time until it does.

"Ash, we passed that tree again." Lucy pointed to the tree with the +.

"Ugh, what is going on?" I grumbled and stalked off where I think was southwest.

Twenty more minutes of walking in that area until a certain + caught my eye.

"Which way is which?!" I threw my hand up in exasperation.

"Here I'll help." Lucy drew out one of her silver keys. "Open! Gate of the compass! Pyxis!"

"Peko!"

A spirit that looked similar to a pudgy red bird with blue downy feathers appeared. It had a large compass sitting on top of its head.

"Peko!" It said.

"Pyxis! Can you point to where the closest form of civilization is?" Lucy asked.

"Peko!" The compass started to spin.

Is 'peko' the only thing it says?

"Peko! Peko!" The compass started to spin faster.

At this point, the bird/compass spirit looked to be getting rather dizzy. The bird/compass said "Peko!" once more and shook its head before shimmering away.

"Well that was helpful." I said sarcastically.

"Pyxis is a celestial spirit; I don't see why he was unable to point to the direction. It worked in the Grand Magic Games, why not now?" Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. "It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe we're in some magnetic field?" Damon suggested.

"Or the North Pole." Liz squeaked.

"Liz, if we were in the North Pole, we'd be freezing." I scoffed. "At least we know I wasn't the only one with a bad sense of direction."

"Or what if there's someone with a great magical power that blocked Pyxis's senses?" Lucy thought.

"Nah, we would have felt it, wouldn't we?" Damon shook his head.

"Not unless they had the power to mask it themselves." I pointed out.

"I wish we'd get out of here soon, I'm getting sick of berries and fish." Luz muttered.

"Welcome to my world." Me and Luce said at the same time.

"So what do we do now?" Damon asked.

"I don't know keep walking?" Lucy suggested.

"That's a great idea! We'll see who dies first! I'm going to win." I beamed.

"That's not what I meant." Lucy sweat dropped.

"Why not leave a trail of something? To see if we're actually going in circles, or if it's just an illusion." Liz hummed.

"Oh yeah? And what, may I ask, are we to use?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the only things we have plenty of are the jewels." Liz looked at the bag.

"Uh no, I worked hard for these." I wrapped my arms over the bag protectively.

"I thought you won them." Damon looked confused.

"Do you know how hard it is to win stuff these days?" I scoffed.

"We'll pick them all up once we run out." Liz said.

"And what if someone just so happens to find them?" I asked.

"Then you'll beat them up before they get a chandce to run away." Luce grinned.

"Hm, fine." I gave in.

We walked for another half an hour leaving jewels behind us like a breadcrumb trail. Sure enough, I noticed one of the first jewels we dropped up ahead.

"Whoa! Did we walk around the world?!" Liz exclaimed, sparkles in her eyes.

"No, there's some serious magic going on here." I looked around.

"Well if we're lost, why can't we just teleport back to Avena?" Damon asked.

I mentally face palmed myself. Duh, why hadn't I thought of this before? Then I tried. I could tell the others did too because they all had confused faces.

"Useless magic." I heard Liz mutter.

"Excuse me?!" I glared at her.

"Maybe you should stop bickering for once and help us find a way out of here." Lucy sighed.

"Maybe we should split up." I suggested.

"No! In horror movies that's how everyone gets killed! One by one…" Liz shuddered.

"Splitting up it is." I grinned.

"Astrid…"Lucy gave me a warming glare.

"What? You can't stop me. You can stay with Liz and Damon if you want, but I'm going to go explore." I trudged off into the bushes. "And make sure you pick up the jewels!" I called back.

I walked down a steep path and slipped in a mud puddle. Now my favorite pair of jeans was ruined, great. I noticed a large shadow overcome me, don't get me wrong, but it was big enough to belong to a dragon.

Whipping my head around, my eyes followed the shadow. And it led me to something I didn't expect to see…

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Mwahahahahaaa**

**I wan't you guys to guess in the reviews what it is, and I guarantee you, that you are wrong *evil grin***

**Okay guys, I give you a hint….its starts with a letter in the alphabet *mad scientist laugh***

**Bye! ~**

***snickers***


	38. Discovery

**I've got to tell you this, all those ideas you guys had? I never even thought of 'em. But they were brilliant. I would have loved to see if it was her uncle or Rogue, but no, it wasn't. That would just make this too complicated for me to handle. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. It was just a chubby bunny with a white lizard/snake thing sitting on its head. The horns on the snake/lizard's head looked like a spiky dragons head, and the bunny had spiky brown fur. Combine that with the sun about to set and the shadow is enlarged, dragon sized.

"Stupid bunny, you nearly scared me half to death!" I muttered and stepped over the furry creature.

I continued to aimlessly walk through this impossible forest maze. I would stab each tree I passed and turn a different direction once I came across the same ones again. It was nightfall already and I got hungry. No way was I going to kill some innocent bunny, I'm not that cruel.

And it was too dark to see if berries were poisonous, let alone find the berries in the first place. The trees were tall and leafy enough to block the moonlight, I couldn't see two feet in front of me; I might as well be a blind person.

Luce and the others are probably asleep by now, or they could have gone looking for me after the sunset. But I think Liz would be too scared of getting killed by some serial killer to go after me and Damon would want to stay with his sister. That leaves Lucy, who most likely did go look for me.

I wonder how's she's doing in this darkness, hope she doesn't get eaten by a bunny with a snake/lizard thing.

I continued to stick my arms out so I won't walk into a tree. I would occasionally trip over a rock or some kind of tree root.

"One foot in front of the other," I mumbled as I blindly walked around. "Step over rock, keep walking and make sure you don't fa-"

Suddenly I didn't feel any ground underneath me. I was freefalling, I tried grasping for something, anything to get ahold of but it was just me, and empty air. At least I could see the moon; it was full without a cloud in the sky. Pretty.

"Oof."

I landed not on the ground, but on something white and soft. White misty stuff was everywhere, so it was hard to see. I stood up and cleared my vision.

Oh, this explains why the skies were so clear. I was standing on a freaking cloud.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

The sun had just set and there was no sign of Astrid.

"Maybe we should go look for her." I stood.

"No! We're going to get killed!" Liz protested.

"For the last time, there is no murderer out in the forest." Damon sighed.

"How can you be so sure? I'm not going to risk my life for Astrid!" Liz huffed.

"Fine, I'll go by myself." I sweat dropped.

"But-" Liz started to say something.

"And if someone tries to kill me, I'll get out one of my spirits to help me take 'em down." I assured her.

"You come back alive now." Damon ordered.

I stuck my tongue out at him and Liz giggled.

"Bye guys, I should be back in the morning." I waved and disappeared into the greenery.

I almost stepped on one of those snake/lizard things, twice. I wonder what they were called…

I searched high and low for any sign of her, but no such luck. I doubt she'd be in the trees though. The branches were too high to grab and climb. The sky was getting darker every minute.

"Ash!" I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled.

"Yo Ash, where are you?!" No answer.

"I found some ice cream!" Silence. "STRAWBERRY FLAVORED!"

I was surprised that she wasn't able to hear my call about ice cream; she has excellent hearing, but not as good as a Dragon Slayer. She could hear the words 'strawberry' and 'ice cream' from miles away if she tried really hard.

I came across a cave. Astrid likes caves, she could be in here. A serial killer hides in caves too, I caustiosly stepped inside and looked around; there were two routes I'd have to choose from. I chose the one to the left.

I heard the steady drip of the water as droplets fell from the ceiling; it was nearly pitch black in here now. I would summon Loke so he could shine some of that regulus light stuff, but I don't want to drain my magical power just for a little light.

So I stumbled around the cave and kept my hand along the right wall, hoping there wasn't some starving beast at the end of the tunnel. Thank god there wasn't, the narrow tunnel led me to a large cavern filled with water, like some kind of lake.

There was a large hole in the rocky ceiling, moonlight poured into my dark surroundings and gave everything a silvery shine. The water was shimmering and sparkling, was it me? Or was the water level rising?

The lake was now flooding the ditch it rested in and was up to my ankles, this can't be good. I turned around to find an exit, but I came face to face with a wall of rock.

The water rose quickly, up to my knees now. Where was it coming from? I spun my head around to look for the source, I couldn't find one. Water soaked through the waistline of my shorts.

Only a few minutes later I was floating on my back as the water rose higher and higher, bringing me to the hole in the ceiling, I figured if I would just go with the flow, pun not intended, and then I could climb out and make my escape.

That is, until water came gushing through the hole in the ceiling like some kind of waterfall, then the water I was floating in began to twist and churn. It turned into one big whirlpool. Great.

I was engulfed in the roaring water less than a minute later; I took a deep breath and held it. Once all the pressure of the rushing water had come to a stop I opened my eyes. My vision was a bit blurred but I could make out of dark blue snake/lizards swimming about.

I began to feel a bit lightheaded, I released my last breath once I couldn't hold it in any longer and accepted the fact that I was going to die. You happy Aquarius?

To my surprise, when I attempted to inhale, I didn't choke or drown. The water was like air, a bit denser but I could still breathe. I looked down at my hands and my surroundings. Maybe I was dreaming, or dead…most likely dead.

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I woke up in time to see the sunrise, it was pretty early. But I was worried that neither Luce nor Ash had come back yet. They could be asleep but I doubt it, they were always the first to wake up bright and early.

I looked at Lizzy's face as she slept, she had a soft smile on her face, and I smiled too. Why would I be worried? Luce and Ash are invincible.

I saw a flash of yellow dash through the trees that was probably Lucy; I knew she'd be here. But when I didn't see her blonde head poke out through the luscious green of the forest, I was confused.

I stood up and walked off into where I had last seen her blonde hair, I saw it again. It was only a flicker, but it was close. I continued on walking through the brush, wondering why Lucy was going this way.

"Lucy!" I called but there was no reply.

Weird.

I kept on following the blob of yellow that appeared ever so often. It darted into a bunch of thick scratchy bushes and I pushed my way through. When I stumbled out, I was faced with a scorching heat, almost like fire.

The sun blinded my eyesight and when it cleared, I was surprised that a desert lay before me. I spun around, hoping to get back into the labyrinth forest, but there were only more sand dunes that went for miles.

"Lizzy!" I yelled frantically.

Now she was all alone in that forest, when she wakes up she'll probably think a serial killer got to me.

I saw the streak of blonde again and let out a sigh of frustration when I found out it was one of those snake/lizard things in a bright yellow color, scuttling across the sand.

I walked, and walked, and walked. I don't know how long, but it was long enough for my stomach to growl. I noticed that I wasn't dehydrated or sweating at all, can this get any weirder?

I take that back, I can see a volcano in the distance.

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I woke up with a sudden jolt. I noticed something was wrong almost immediately. Damon wasn't here. And neither was Lucy or Astrid.

I knew it! I knew there was a serial killer somewhere out here! And I'm next!

With that thought in mind, I scrambled up and ran, I ran as hard as I could before he'd find me, I don't want to die. But it was no use, I would always past that stupid tree with the +.

I climbed up on top of a boulder, but when I saw a cluster of green weird snake/lizard looking things from before, I shrieked and lost my balance.

I started to cry, I didn't know what else to do. But when my tears hit the dirt, small pale blue flowers grew, it was shaped like an upside down umbrella and they were no bigger than a bottle cap.

I gasped in surprise.

* * *

**_~Fairy Tail~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

It rained really hard last night, it was a massive thunder storm actually, and my dragon sense of hearing was killing me then. I was at the guild when the storm hit, almost everyone was.

There were some people who pointed fingers at Juvia and Laxus, but she said she was as happy as can be since she was with 'Gray-sama'. Laxus said he would go through the trouble of causing a thunderstorm.

Most of the guild members had spent the night in the guild hall; I ate up all the flaming chicken for dinner, when I woke up the storm had passed.

I exited the guild expecting that refreshing scent of the rain from last night, but I was unexpectedly hit with a wave of strawberries and vanilla, I stumbled back from surprise.

I sniffed around and tried to find out where the sent was coming from, but Luce's scent seemed to cover Mangolia, all of it.

* * *

**_~Clementine~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

There was a really big storm last night, bigger than usual. Rogue lay in his bed and tossed a fish to Frosch, who happily ate it up.

"Yo Rogue, that was quite the storm wasn't it?" Sting walked in without permission.

Rogue replied with a grunt.

"It's stuffy in here don't you think? You should open a window or two." Sting lifted the latch and pushed the window up.

He inhaled, expecting to smell the wet and dewy grass, but he froze when the overwhelming scent of strawberries and vanilla washed over him.

Rogue stiffened a little, but his eyes widened in shock when a gust of wind blew in his face with the unmistakable scent of cinnamon, cinnamon and mint.

* * *

**_~Cloud~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I knelt down and swiped my hand through the cloud. It went through, but when I stepped in the same spot, I didn't fall whatsoever. I walked on the misty cloud; it's not all fluffy like the ones I see when I'm on land.

It's really hard to see because there's mist and fog all over the place, I tried blowing it away, and to my surprise it worked. But only a few moments later all that cloudy stuff would just come back again.

I walked over to what I think is the edge and looked down. I couldn't really see the ground because there were other clouds in the way. What if I…

I jumped down for the cloud I was perched on and fell onto the one below me. It was soft and a bit bouncy, I chuckled. This could be fun.

I took a running head start and leaped over to the next cloud; I tripped over something and fell onto the soft cloud cushion.

"What the?" How could you trip over a cloud?

I looked back to see what it was and widened my eyes in surprise when I saw one of those while lizard/snake things slithering about. So they could walk on clouds too huh?

I tried to grab it, but it just slithered into the mist, disappearing completely. I frowned and moved onto another cloud. A shiny glint caught my eye, and it was only a few cloudy hops away.

I stood in the crowd of white snake/lizard things that were surrounding, is that what I think it is?

* * *

**_~Water~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. Inhale. Exhale. I still wasn't quite used to this whole breathing underwater thing. I began to swim upwards to see if I could get back to the surface, but after five minutes I didn't even see the glint of the moonlight.

I sighed, which was weird since I was underwater. Looking around I could see a few of those snake/lizards swimming about. So they could breathe underwater too huh? I guess that makes them part fish too.

I tried to get a hold of one but they were way too fast. I tried swimming to the bottom too. It only got darker, no bottom though. I checked my skin for any gills but I still looked human. No mermaid tails for me. I wonder what it'd be like to be a mermaid though. I laughed at the thought. My laugher came out as it usually did but it was slightly muffled.

A flash of blue whizzed past my face and I blinked in surprise. The snake/lizard things had all come together and were crowding around something. I swam over to see what all the fuss was about and I choked on the water for the first time when it came into view.

* * *

**_~Desert~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

I didn't really know what I was supposed to do, so I headed towards the volcano. It was a mile or two away and half the size of Mt. Hakobe. I reached the base of the volcano in about thirty minutes or so, I wan't really in a rush.

The volcano was a bit steeps from the looks of it, and there was some lava oozing out I spotted here and there. You'd think that being in a desert and standing on a volcano would be hot. But I felt normal, like I was standing outside in nice weather, which I found to be quite strange.

On my way to the volcano I saw red, orange, and yellow snake/lizard things head in the same direction. I wanted to know what drew so many of those little creatures to a place like this. And I grew even more curious when I saw them dive into the mouth of the volcano.

I felt the temperature rise as I got closer but it was only around ninety degrees (A/N Fahrenheit) either this was a weird volcano, or I was a freak. I slowly made my way up and peeked over the edge, expecting to see a bunch of lizard/snake carcasses slowly melting and burning away. But instead, I was greeted with a-

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I stared at the tiny flowers my tears had produced. I stared at them like they were from an alien planet. Sure they were pretty, but they don't just grow with a droplet of salty tears.

I slowly reached out my hand and poked one. I just swayed back and forth like any other flower would. What if I cried more and more flowers would grow?

I thought of sad thoughts and things that made me cry, I felt my eyes fill up with tears and blinked. The droplets fell to the dirt, in their place; little white flowers emerged out of the dirt. I giggled.

What if I spit in the dirt? I tried it, nothing. A green creature ran over my newly made flowers. I glared over at it, one of those snake/lizard things. Then another one scuttled past me, and another, and another. Geez, what's the rush?

They all darted into a cave hidden by shrubbery and vines. When I got a good look at what was in there, you could say I was surprised.

* * *

**What is this mysterious thing the four have seen?**

**Review! It took me forever to finish this chapter because I got distracted…**

**Bye! ~**


	39. Four Beasts

**Here comes a cliché part, but it's not as cliché as you think. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I realized that those little snake/lizards weren't crowding something; they were combining themselves into something. It was kind of gross actually. They would pile up on top of each other, and mold in with each other.

A wing here, a leg there, and claws too. I stepped back and widened my eyes, and then quickly closed them due to the bright shining light. Cracking my eyes open, I found myself in front of a majestic dragon.

It wasn't as big as I had imagined a dragon would be. It was probably only a building or two big, but it was still pretty huge. It had silvery scales covering its entire body, misty grey eyes, rather sharp claws, and elegant wings that stretched out wide.

I quickly regained my 'I'm bored and have nothing to do' posture and glanced up at the head of the beast.

"So...a dragon huh?" I asked.

The beast just stared at me. Didn't say anything, didn't try to eat me, and just stared.

"Well uh, if you'll excuse me. I have some business to take care of." I pointed off into another cloud.

That was a total lie. I've been cloud jumping for a while and was starting to get bored of it actually. What was I thinking in the first place? The dragon would _talk_ to me? Heck no, the only thing that could talk like a human were humans. And Exceeds…

But I heard that Dragon Slayers were raised by actual dragons. How did they put up with it? Years of silence, maybe the occasional roar or grunt, but that's it. No communication whatsoever.

I bent my knees, ready to jump, but then the dragon flapped its huge wings and the sudden wind nearly made me topple over. And I swore I could hear it chuckle.

"What's the matter with you?" I glared.

Yeah, it was risky glaring at a dragon. But I was Astrid Moonlea, it's a habit.

"_Tch_." I turned back around and got ready to jump.

But then the stupid dragon beat its wings _again_.

"Will you _stop_ that?" I hissed. "If you aren't going to say anything, or eat me then leave me alone!"

But it did not stop; every time I attempted to leave it would just send over another gust of wind, which felt like it was going seventy miles per hour.

"I can't believe this…" I muttered.

I shot dagger eyes at the thing and I saw it look back at me with amused eyes.

"And I thought my life couldn't get any weirder…" I gazed at its folded wings and scaly tail.

That's when the dragon shifted it position so that its back was facing me. Cold shoulder eh? But then it turned its head and jerked it for me to come over.

"You can't be serious." I gawked. "You want me to get on your back don't you?"

It nodded.

"So you can fly me off into some unknown land and eat me in private?" I suggested.

It snorted in response.

Seeing that I couldn't really go anywhere at the moment, why not climb on top of a dragon's back? Actually, I could think of a bunch of good reasons, but I chose to ignore them.

I walked up to the dragon and hesitantly climbed up on its back. It was a bit slippery, but I caught a hold of two of the scales. Each one of them was the size of my hand, and I held them with a tight grip.

"So, could you make this quick? Because I have to look for Lucy and then find my way back to civilization." The dragon took off. "And I don't have time for silly rides on the back of creatures that are supposed to be _extinct!_" I had to yell now because of the whistling wind.

Despite what I had said, the ride was pretty exhilarating. The sun was out already, how long had I been gone? But after a few moments I realized what I was doing.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

But there really wasn't a point since it couldn't talk, lousy uneducated overgrown lizard. It could be taking me to Narnia for all I knew, although there weren't any wardrobes nearby. **(A/N Haha, I do not own Narnia either)**

* * *

**_~Water~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

The snake/lizards were colliding in with each other and _melting._ Yeah, it was like as soon as they made contact, their skin would melt into water and connect with each other. Is it me or are those wings?

More body parts, of something obviously not human began to form. The water around me was starting to swirl faster and faster. Soon enough, there was so much foam and bubbles that I could barely see a thing. But as soon as it all cleared I was at a loss for words.

It was a dragon, but it wasn't huge like Acnologia. It was a little bigger than the wyvern I saw when collecting herbs with Team Natsu **(A/N Episode 73)**. It had shiny blue scales that seemed to blend in with the water, a long, serpent like tail, aqua blue eyes, and insanely sharp ivory claws.

The wings were folded, so I couldn't get a good view of them.

I gawked, who wouldn't? **(A/N If a freaking dragon appeared in the water while you went swimming I'm sure you would too. Either that, or scream.)**

The beast stared at me, not in the 'You look delicious' kind of way, but just a stare. I continued to gawk, my eyes running over from its horned head to the scaly tail.

We exchanged looks, which was kind of weird. It's not every day you can breathe underwater and then meet up with a dragon. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"D-Dragon!" I pointed a finger.

And is it me, or do I hear chuckling?

"Um, hello?" The dragon didn't respond. "Hi, I'm Lucy Heartfilia." I waved nervously.

Why didn't the dragon talk? Natsu told me that Igneel taught him how to read, and you can't do that without talking.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I have uh, to find Astrid." I spun around and started to swim away, but then a wave of water forced me in the direction of the dragon thing.

I tried going in a different direction but the same thing happened. I felt my back collide with something hard. I turned around slowly and let out a gasp when I realized I was close enough to see the little details and microscopic cracks in the scales, I felt the rhythm of the dragon's heart beat when I placed my hand on its back.

I sucked in a breath, err, gulped down some water when the dragon swam under me and I was sitting on its back. I grabbed onto one of the ivory horns that came out along the spine in awe. Without warning, the mighty beast jerked forward. I let out a yelp of surprise and clutched the ivory horn tighter.

In less than a minute, we broke surface and I saw the brilliant shine of the sun from above. At that moment, the wings unfolded and water trickled off, they looked like diamonds falling in the sun's rays. I gasped when I saw how wide the wing span was, at least the length of a train. And they were the same blue as the scales that shielded its body.

The dragon flapped its wings once and we shot up into the sky.

* * *

**_~Volcano~_**

**_~Damon's POV~_**

Those snake/lizard things, they didn't burn like I thought they would. They melted, not into lava, but something else. I knew something was wrong when I saw the scales. And the teeth, tail, and wings. I almost fell in because I was so shocked.

Fiery eyes stared at me with a menacing gaze, the tail flicked left and right sometimes looking like an excited flame, leathery wings extended to an extraordinary length, and the claws, those razor sharp claws…

"D-D-D-" I couldn't make out the word.

"D-D-" Ok, fine, maybe I was a little freaked.

"Dragon." It came out as a whisper.

It was laughing at me, I didn't hear it, but I could tell it was laughing at me.

"What, you aren't going to eat me?" I asked.

The dragon looked at me like I asked it to kill itself.

"Not talking?" I thought dragons could talk.

"Fine." I turned around and walked away. But as I was about to put my foot down, I noticed the pool of lava I was about to step into.

"Gah!" I avoided it at the last second.

But I stepped backwards, and there wasn't anything behind me except for the mouth of a volcano and a dragon. I couldn't tell which was worse. But instead of catching on fire or my skin melting off, I landed on something hard.

And to my horror it was the dragon.

"Holy shi-" I scrambled away, but I didn't really have anywhere to go.

The back of the beast was a lot bigger up close and there was the occasional white spike or horn sticking out like bone. There was a rumbling that I felt and I instinctively grabbed onto the nearest spike.

To my relief, I was no longer stuck in a volcano. But then I realized that I was on the back of a dragon. That was flying. In the sky.

* * *

**_~Forest~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

My first thought was _'Ew, gross'. _The snake/lizards bunched up together and shed their skin. So now there was dead skin all over the place, I shivered and flicked one off when it landed on my shoulder.

I started to back away when more snake/lizards came over and did the same thing. And when I say more, I mean thousands.

I started to get scared when I saw a leg, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when I saw a wing. I fell over when I saw the tail. And I nearly fainted when the teeth came into view. But when the masterpiece was finished, I screamed bloody murder.

I don't know how long I screamed, but it amazed me on how much sound I could produce in one breath. I was shaking, my heart started to beat faster. Was this the serial killer that got to my brother and the others?

"D-Did y-you ki-kill D-Damon a-and L-Lucy?" I managed to say in between deep breaths.

The dragon looked confused for a moment and then shook its head.

"Oh, so you only ate Astrid, that's good." I sighed in relief.

The dragon shook its head again.

Damn.

But still, I wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Here I was with a dragon in front of me. Earthy brown eyes gazing into my soul, scales the color of the forest around me, a mixture of greens. The wings were huge, outlined in green and the rest was leathery dirt brown. And sharp ivory talons scraped the rocks it stood on.

I slowly stood up, and walked backwards, but I felt something damp where the path should have been. There was a dirt wall, blocking my way. And if I looked around, there were various blockages so that I couldn't escape.

"I'll have you know that I don't taste very good." I informed the beast.

Is the dragon a mute? What am I thinking, dragons don't talk.

One minute I was sitting on the ground, and the next I was sitting on its back. I don't know how it happened, but I didn't dare try to get off. It was over four stories high up here. The dragon spread its wings and took off.

What is this? Some form of kidnapping?

I used this chance to look around at my surroundings, which wasn't the best idea since I almost slipped off.

"Kya! ~" I caught onto one of the scales.

As I hauled myself back up and clung on the scales like my life depended on it, which it did, I noticed three figures in the distance.

One of them was blue, coming from the opposite direction. The other one was a brilliant shade of red coming from my left. And the last one, I could barely see the silver streak that came from the right.

* * *

**Phew, that chapter was a bit longer than the others**

**Review! I have this really busy schedule ahead of me and luckily, I got this chapter in in time**

**Bye! ~**


	40. Silvia

**Hehe, Dragon Slayer this, Dragon Slayer that. You think you know everything about the twists and turns of my unpredictable story don't you? Ha, if only you knew….*evil laughter* I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Believe it or not, this back was pretty comfortable. I was lying on the back of a beast and I didn't even feel and turbulence or bumps in the air. I felt my eyes droop, oh yeah; I never did get any sleep last night did I? I guess I could rest my eyes for a minute or two-

"LUCY?!" A voice shrieked.

"LIZ!" Said another.

"LIZZY! LUCE!" A third voice exclaimed.

"WHERE'S ASTRID?!" It was Lucy who said this.

"OH FOR GODS SAKE!" I got up. "CAN'T A GIRL GET ANY SLEEP AROUND HERE?"

"OH, THERE SHE IS!" Liz squinted.

I noticed that the four dragons had begun to fly around in a continuous small circle as they slowly descended.

"I'm getting…dizzy." Liz mumbled and held her head.

"Ugh, is this what motion sickness feels like?" Lucy groaned.

"Tch." I looked at the two.

Damon however, was keeping his cool and showed no signs of dizziness. Good for him. A few more circles later, the four dragons landed on the ground and we carefully slid off.

I walked up to Luce to see if she was alright, but she attacked me with a bear hug.

"Uh, Luce?" I tried to shrug her off.

"I thought you could have died or something, because when I was almost drowned, I thought something similar happened to you and…" She kept on blabbering about nonsense.

"Psh, you think falling off a cliff is going to kill me?" I scoffed.

"You fell off a cliff?!" Lucy's eyes bugged out.

"You almost drowned?" I just realized what she said.

"I was in a volcano." Damon spoke up.

"And my tears grow flowers." Liz beamed.

"Your tears do what?!" Did I hear that correctly?

"Volcano? You can't be serious." Lucy gawked.

"Tears growing flowers? Stop lying." I looked at Liz.

"Oh yeah? Well then how did you survive the fall? Jumping on clouds?" Liz snickered.

"Yes, actually." I glared.

"How could you survive such intense heat?" Lucy asked Damon.

"How can you breathe underwater?" Damon asked Lucy.

"You can't grow flowers without seeds baka." I hit Liz on the head.

"Ow! Well you can't just walk on a cloud!" Liz rubbed the spot where I hit her.

"Did you get burned?" Lucy looked at Damon for any scorch marks.

"Do you have gills?" Damon poked at her neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" A calm voice asked.

We spun our heads around, widened our eyes, and took a step back at the same time. In place of our four dragons was one mega sized one, it looked just like my silver dragon, just enlarged by a lot.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I looked around to see if the four dragons had gone someplace else but all I saw was Astrid, Liz, Damon, and a bigger version of my blue dragon. This time, it was the size of Acnologia.

"…" We were speechless.

"Whoa, this one can talk." Everyone but Astrid, that is.

"Yes, I am not like the Tokabi or Wyverns." The dragon said. **(A/N Emerralld, thank you for suggesting the name 'Tokabi' in your review for chapter 15)**

"Tokabi? What are Tokabi?" Liz asked, confused.

"I'm assuming that they're one of those lizard snake things?" Damon suggested.

"Correct, the four element wyverns and the many Tokabi were unable to speak like myself."

"And who are you exactly?" I gazed up at the dragon.

"I am the Elemental Dragon, but you can call me Silvia." She announced.

"Hold on," Astrid looked at her. "You are an almighty _Elemental Dragon_ for god's sake and you choose a name as simple as _Silvia_?"

"Astrid!" I hissed.

"What? I was just stating the obvious!" Astrid shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Sorry, Astrid can be a little rude sometimes." I tried to cover the incident up with a smile.

"Hey! Don't talk about be like I'm not here!" Astrid growled. "And if you're an Elemental Dragon, then why are you still silver and not a bunch of other colors?"

"What are you talking about? She's clearly blue!" I'm not color blind.

"Uh, no, she a blazing red." Damon countered.

"I thought she was green!" Liz whined.

"Children, let me explain." Silvia said. "I can change my appearance to look however I want in front of certain people."

"Why? Because you actually look really ugly and you want to cover it all up with that special magic of yours?" Astrid snickered.

Everyone except for Silvia was glaring at Astrid now.

"I thought it would be best for your training." Silvia replied with a hint of annoyance.

"Train? Why would I want to train with an overgrown lizard?" Astrid scoffed.

"You four have shown the potential of becoming my students. Astrid, no ordinary human would be able to survive such a fall by landing on a cloud. Same goes for you Lucy, breathing underwater is an extraordinary skill. Damon, you did not feel dehydrated or uncomfortable from the volcano's heat. And Elizabeth, the flowers are explanation enough." Silvia explained.

"You're telling me, that if we didn't pass your little tests, we could have died?" Astrid gawked.

"Precisely, everyone except for Elizabeth." Silvia nodded.

"That's a bit risky, don't you think?" Damon looked bewildered.

"How come I couldn't breathe underwater before now?" I asked.

"Yeah, my tears never did that before now either." Liz commented.

"Your magical power increases little by little every day, causing these miracles." Silvia smiled.

"How do even know our names?" Liz asked.

"The Tokabi, they have been following you for quite a while." Silvia said.

Oh yeah, I remember the first time I stayed in Astrid's cave, I saw five of them battling over an energy bar. And they've been showing up ever since.

"Stalker!" Astrid gasped in horror and stepped back.

"No, I was just gathering research and waiting for the right time to teach." Silvia explained.

"You mean stalking?" Astrid looked disgusted.

"Call it what you must, but I still intend to teach you the elemental magic." Silvia said.

"Oh? And why now of all times?" Astrid crossed her arms.

"You were in the middle of the time continuum forest; many humans venture off into this forest and get caught in the never ending maze. Eventually, they end up spending the rest of their lives in there and die." Silvia explained. "I had gathered all of my Tokabi together to make the four elemental wyverns and carry you out."

"And where did the wyverns go?" Liz looked around.

"That is a trick question. I can...disperse myself into the wyverns and then have the wyverns disperse themselves into Tokabi." Silvia explained some more.

"Ew, so you were the Tokabi and wyverns?" Astrid blinked.

"Yes." Silvia sighed.

"Well, I appreciate your help for taking us out of that wacko forest, but I have no intention in learning this elemental stuff" Astrid walked off.

"Astrid wait!" I grabbed her arm. "I left Fairy Tail to train and become stronger, why not use this opportunity?"

Astrid stopped and turned around.

"But what about civilization? We'll be stuck in a forest all day for who knows how long without having a single ice cream cone!" Astrid reminded me.

"I don't care about the ice cream." I sweat dropped. "But you do have a point," I turned to Silvia. "I don't want to be stuck in some forest eating berries and fish all of the time."

"Yeah, and I kind of like to eat chocolate parfaits, and I don't think you can find those in a forest." Liz chuckled.

After a long period of silence, Silvia let out a sigh once she had come to a decision.

"Once a year, you may revisit this civilization you adore so much every year." She announced.

"WHAT?!" Astrid exploded. "One year?! Ice cream once a year! Preposterous! One week! Make it every week!" She demanded.

"Oh Ash…" Me, Damon, and Liz sweat dropped.

"Nonsense, such frequency will disturb you training!" Silvia growled.

"NO! I will not accept this stupid training! How will I be able to concentrate for a full freaking year if I can only have ice cream once?!" Astrid stomped her foot.

I walked over to Silvia and whispered. "It's best if you make it a little more reasonable or else she'll throw a tantrum."

"A month then," Silvia took my advice. "You may return to civilization for a day once a month. That is my final offer."

Astrid grew quiet as she contemplated this idea.

"Fine." She huffed. "When do we start?"

* * *

**I made the mistake of going outside last night, so many mosquitos….**

**Review please! I would really appreciate it, every time I see that I got a new review in my inbox I smile, and then I smile even more when I read the review**

**Bye! ~**


	41. A Break

**So, I've been watching all of the Fairy Tail battles all day, I really do need to get a life…nah I'm good. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~One month Timeskip!~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

We spent a _month_ working on breathing techniques. I, personally, don't see how that is training at all. We'd just sit on the ground and meditate. We'd work on 'concentrating' and 'focus'. Silvia keeps telling us that we have a lot of potential and a great magical power hidden deep within us, but how are we ever going to find it if all we do is _breathe?_

Sure, we still had to run long distances, fight, and haul boulders around. Which I didn't mind, but our 'training' mainly revolved around breathing.

But at least Silvia kept her promise; the four wyverns were now flying us towards civilization so we can enjoy a day of ice cream.

I spotted a few buildings in the distance and the four elemental wyverns, A.K.A Silvia, landed in the forest that was not too far away. It was around eight or nine in the morning, I wanted to get here earlier, but nooo we had to do some last minute training.

"Sunset." Silvia ordered.

"You come back here by sunset."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I waved my hand. "Are we going or what?"

"Hai." Lucy jumped off of the ocean blue wyvern and followed me.

"Bye Silvia." Liz hugged her wyvern, Tch, suck up.

"Let's go Lizzy." Damon pulled her away.

Less than fifteen minutes later we approached the city. I read the sign at the entrance, 'Welcome to Hargeon' it said.

"Hargeon. We're not that far from Mangolia!" Lucy exclaimed. "Maybe we could vi-"

"No, we are not going to go visit the fairies." I interrupted.

"Why not? And don't call them fairies! You're starting to sound like the Sabers." Lucy frowned.

"Because," I paused and scanned my surroundings. "We have more important things to do."

"Like what?" She scoffed.

I pulled her over to the ice cream store and swung the door open. Once I calmed myself down due to the overpowering smell of ice cream, I marched over to the counter.

"Strawberry ice cream deluxe with rainbow sprinkles, mega gummy bears, Oreo crumbs, caramel syrup, hot fudge, some vanilla ice cream on the side along with an orange peel, hot fudge doused on the vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and mint leaves to top it off please." I said all in one breath.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're fresh out of strawberry ice cream." The cahier informed me.

"HAHAHAHA! These people in Hargeon sure know how to joke!" I laughed. "Ice cream, now." My face grew dark and serious.

"Miss, like I said before, no strawberry ice cream. But we do have the best chocolate parfaits in this region of Fiore." She showed us the menu.

Liz perked up at the words 'chocolate parfait' but I wouldn't have it.

"What do you mean, 'No strawberry ice cream'?" I hissed. "Luce we're leaving."

"But Astrid w-" I grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the shop, Liz wailing behind.

"Ok, now what's your problem?" Lucy raised a brow.

"I spent an entire _month _breathing, Luce. I already know how to breathe! And Silvia is only giving us one day of civilization! I will not rest until I get a lick of strawberry ice cream." I stomped my foot.

"Astrid, you're overreacting." Liz sweat dropped.

"Liz," I held up my hand. "If you found out, that there weren't any chocolate parfaits because Damon ate them all, how would you feel?"

"I feel your pain." Liz twitched. "Lucy let's go find Ash some of her ice cream."

"What? Where?" Lucy was bewildered.

"Mangolia, its closest to here, no?" Liz cocked her head to the side.

"Well yeah but-"

"To Mangolia!" I roared.

"Wait, so…what?" Damon had no idea what was going on.

"Astrid and Liz have this weird connection with each other when it comes to ice cream, so they've decided to take off towards Mangolia since Hargeon doesn't have strawberry ice cream." Lucy explained to him.

Yep, you got that right.

"I still don't get it." Damon sighed.

"Yeah, well, I'm still pretty confused myself." Lucy shrugged.

We dashed off into the forest and I called for Silvia, she should still be around here somewhere.

"Silvia!" I whistled and waved my arm. "Yo Silvia where are you?"

"I'm not a taxi." The dragon emerged from within the trees.

"Yeah, well, we need to get to Mangolia." I ordered.

"And why should I take you? You get reluctant when it comes to training." She scoffed.

"Well _maybe_ it's because I already know how to breathe!" I huffed.

"I told you once before and I'll tell you again, the meditation is so that you can-" She started explaining.

"_Silvia!_ I don't have time for this! This is my one free day, and I'm going to spend it in Mangolia!" I snapped.

"I will not tolerate this nonsense, I don't like you attitude Astrid." Silvia growled.

"_Uuuuugh_." I groaned. "Will you _please_, take the four of us to Mangolia?" I asked through clenched shut jaws.

"That's better." Silvia nodded and separated into the four wyverns.

Thanks to the wyvern air travel and the miraculous speed, we got to Mangolia in less than five minutes. Mainly because I what complaining on how long it was taking and Silvia started to get annoyed. We landed in the forest and traveled on foot for the rest of the way.

"Hey, do you think we're going to see Natsu?" Liz asked. "I've never seen a guy with pink hair."

"Hopefully we don't" I said.

"But if we do…" Damon trailed off.

"I'll kick his ass like I did last time!" I pumped a fist in the air.

Damon and Liz nodded in approval.

"You guys are not going to beat up Natsu." Lucy sighed. "I won't allow it."

"But Luuuucyyy!" Damon complained.

"They deserve it!" Liz exclaimed.

"Which dagger should I use?" I held up my collection.

"Oooooh! I like the silver one!" Liz's eyes sparkled.

"Although the gold is flashier." Damon commented.

"And what exactly, do you plan on using those daggers for?" Lucy turned around.

"Nothing!" I hid my precious possessions behind my back.

"Uh huh." She eyed me suspiciously.

Not too long after that, we emerged into a bustling busy city. I sneakily scanned the buildings, high and low, for the ice cream store. But there wasn't a single one in sight.

"Hey Lucy, where are the ice cream stores?" I asked nervously.

"On the other side of the city, right next to Fairy Tail." Lucy smirked.

"You've got to be kidding me; I told you we aren't going to visit the fairies!" I complained.

"I'll let you beat up Natsuuuu." Lucy grinned.

"O~kay." I smirked deviously.

"So now we're going to Fairy Tail? What?" Damon and Liz showed the same look of confusion.

"Well, I'm stopping by my old apartment, and then we'll go get ice cream, and visit Fairy Tail if we have time."

"Wait, we're going to your old apartment too?" I grunted.

"Yeah, why not?" Lucy shrugged.

"Eh, you can go ahead. I'll go straight to the ice cream store. Anyone want to come with me?" I asked.

"Me." Liz said as her stomach grumbled.

"I'll stay with Lucy." Damon shrugged.

Then we parted ways.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Astrid made quite a fuss over the ice cream; I didn't think she'd actually take the risk of going to Mangolia of all places. I was a little eager to see Fairy Tail, but nervous at the same time considering what I said to them last time.

But for the past moth that I had spent breathing, I had a lot of time to think. Fairy Tail messed up big time, especially that idiot Natsu, but everyone deserves a second chance right?

Liz hugged me and Damon goodbye, but Astrid was already a good ten meters away. I strolled over onto Strawberry Street and found the apartment building. Luckily the landlady wasn't here to scold me about the rent.

I opened the door to my apartment, surprised to find it unlocked. But I was even more surprised when I saw all my stuff still here, there wasn't even any dust.

"Your apartment is really…pink." Damon looked around.

"Yeah." I jumped onto my bed, oh how I missed this bed. "I just wanted to see it again; it's been almost a year since I left." I thought back.

"Do you miss the people at Fairy Tail?" Damon picked up a picture of team Natsu, when I was still in it.

"Yeah, every now and then." I touched some of the scorch marks on my windowsill.

"Are you ever going to join again?" He asked.

"That's the plan, I left to get stronger and Silvia says I'm getting stronger every day." I looked at my right hand, where my guild mark used to be.

"How can she tell that we're getting stronger? All we do is breathe all day." Damon chuckled.

"At least you got to breathe air." I sat up. "I had to sit underwater the whole time! The fish wouldn't stop bugging me!" I laughed.

"But Silvia had surrounded me in flames! Can you imagine breathing calmly in that condition?" He exclaimed.

"I doubt the flames would hurt you, you were inside of a volcano that one time." I reminded him.

"But what about Ash? She has to sit on the tops of trees or the edge of a cliff." Damon commented.

"Yeah, if she falls it's all over for her…" I laughed nervously. "Silvia would catch her though."

"But Lizzy's got it easy." Damon sighed. "All she had to do is sit on solid land, no strings attached."

"Except for that one time when it was quicksand." I reminded him.

We continued to joke around about our training and other things in life, pretty soon my stomach started to grumble.

"Ice cream?" Damon suggested.

"Let's get there before Astrid eats their supply." I hopped off the bed.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Where is it?!" I roamed the streets of Mangolia.

"Lucy said it was by Fairy Tail, haven't you been there before?" Liz asked.

"That was months ago!" I yelled.

We've been searching for what seemed like forever, yet we still couldn't find the ice cream store.

"Wait, I remember this road! Fairy Tail shouldn't be too far!" I ran down the main road.

Fifteen confusing minutes later, I came face to face with the Fairy Tail guild.

"Finally." Liz breathed.

"And look!" I pointed off into the left.

We ran madly toward the ice cream store and burst through the glass doors and ran towards the counter.

"CHOCOLATE PARFAIT!" Liz's eyes sparkled.

"Strawberry ice cream deluxe with rainbow sprinkles, mega gummy bears, Oreo crumbs, caramel syrup, some vanilla ice cream on the side along with an orange peel, hot fudge doused on the vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and mint leaves to top it off please." I repeated the same order from Hargeon.

Five agonizing minutes later, our orders came. Liz was obviously excited to get her long awaited dessert, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when I saw my order placed in front of me. I took a spoon and shakily scooped a chunk of strawberry ice cream. I brought the spoon up to my mouth and-

"ASTRID!" A voice growled.

I spun my head around in ager. Whoever interrupted this perfect moment will regret the day they were born. And of course it was my least favorite person in the world.

"NATSUUU!" My spoon clattered to the table.

"Wheres Luce?!" He looked around.

But instead of answer he got a punch to the face.

"Why you- Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" He threw a punch.

I dodged and kicked him in the gut. I then started to punch him and with each punch I said something.

"Why _*punch*_ can't _*punch*_ I _*punch*_ eat _*punch*_ my _*punch*_ ice _*punch*_ cream _*punch*_ in _*punch*_ _PEACE?!"_ I topped it off with an uppercut.

I crossed my arms and admired my work, and then I hurriedly turned around before I could get distracted. But of course I wasn't quick enough because that idiot Natsu had the nerve to trip me.

"You've got guts kid." I glared at him.

Teleporting behind him, I kicked his spinal cord and he fell over, I snickered and stood over him. Next thing I knew, I heard a:

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!" And the flames came at me.

I ducked, but not without my jacket getting singed. Then I noticed where the flames were now headed.

"LIZ! DODGE!" I commanded.

She jumped out in time, thank god. Lucy would have killed me if anything happened to Liz. But then my eyes widened in horror and I felt my blood run cold. Everything was moving in slow motion, but before I could do anything it was too late.

"NOOO!"

* * *

**Eheh, I think this was my best cliffhanger yet!**

**I think there's a good chance I might update the next chapter today actually**

**Review! What do YOU think happened?**

**Bye! ~**


	42. Why are YOU here?

***Sigh* Yeah, I guess it was kind of obvious that it was the ice cream. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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**_~Natsu's POV~_**

I was in the middle of a brawl with Gray when I caught a sharp cinnamon mint smell. It could only belong to one person. I quickly punched Gray in the face and Juvia came rushing over. I stepped out of the guild and looked around.

I saw her in the ice cream store sitting with a girl with violet hair. I immediately took off in that direction and slid through the doors of the ice cream store.

"ASTRID!" I growled.

She turned around and her spoon clattered on the table.

"NATSUUU!" Why did she look so mad?

"Where's Luce?!" I looked for Lucy.

Next thing I knew, I was punched in the face. She has the nerve…

"Why you- Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" My hand was engulfed in flames.

She dodged my fist with incredible speed and kicked me in the gut. Then she started to punch me.

"Why can't I enjoy my ice cream in _PEACE?!_" She said between punches.

Then she gave me one final uppercut, this girl was starting to piss me off. So I tripped her.

"You've got guts kid." She growled.

She disappeared with that teleporting magic, and I felt someone kick my back, I fell down and sucked in a breath.

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!" I roared at her.

She ducked with that amazing speed from before, but I smirked when part of her leather jacket was caught in the flames.

"LIZ! DODGE!" She shouted.

I widened my eyes when I saw that the innocent girl with purple hair was going to get hit but felt a wave of relief when she jumped out in time.

"NOOO!" Astrid screeched.

What? Did someone get hurt? I looked around, confused. A gust of wind blew at full force in my direction.

"You. Will. Pay." She stepped closer with each word.

What did I do? The wind was blowing everywhere now, her hair was flying everywhere.

"Astrid!" I heard the girl with purple hair cry out. "Stop!"

What was she going to do? The look in her eyes had an intent to kill. I wasn't going to lose to some girl who could only blow wind and teleport; there was a glare that shone in my eye. I noticed the silver and gold daggers hanging from the chain laced in her jeans, but she didn't make a move to grab them.

I didn't attack because I was curious what might happen.

"Is that all you've go-" I stopped talking due to the lack of air.

Astrid was grinning like mad now as I tried to breathe, but there was no oxygen. I couldn't light my flames either, because without oxygen, no flames. You could say that I was starting to panic.

"Astrid Moonlea stop right there!" A familiar voice shouted.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We were nearing the ice cream store when I heard Astrid.

"NOOO!" Uh oh.

Me and Damon exchanged looks and nodded. We sprinted off in the direction of the ice cream store and I froze at the sight before me.

There she was, wind in her hair, wind everywhere actually. It was blowing light items and paper everywhere. She was glaring at something, or someone. I knew things were bad when I saw the pink hair. I snapped out of my trance and ran over.

"Astrid Moonlea stop right there!" I hollered.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

My ice cream…..my…..ice ….cream. I started to quiver slightly. My ice cream, m-melted. And it was all _his _fault.

"You. Will. Pay." I growled.

There was wind, everywhere, and it was coming from me, I don't know how or why, I was just taking deep breaths and-…Deep breaths….it all makes sense now! So that's what those breathing techniques were for!

Nevermind that, I could see that Natsu here was struggling with something, breathing? This is ironic, really. My mouth stretched into a wide grin as I held back my laughter.

"Astrid Moonlea stop right there!" I snapped my head up and saw the blonde running towards the shop.

Crap. I stopped grinning, and the wind stopped blowing around everywhere. I heard Natsu gasp for his precious oxygen and inhale deeply.

"H-Hey Lucy." I waved.

"Natsu! Oh my god I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She ran over to the fire mage.

"L-Luce?" Natsu croaked.

Phew, this is good. If I could just sneak away…

"Now where do you think you're going?" A feminine voice asked.

I froze and tuned around expecting a Lucy kick, but instead I was facing a woman in her early thirties with long white silvery hair. She wore a pale blue strapless sundress with silver stitching that hovered just above the knees; there was a white bow on the right side of the waist. Her flawless skin was the same color as Lucy's and her misty grey eyes were aimed at me.

Wait, misty grey eyes? The only eyes I've seen like that belonged to-

"Silvia?" I gulped.

"Yes dear, I'm glad you noticed. Mind telling me what's going on?" She scanned the place.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I gawked. "And why are you human?" I whispered.

"What is going on here?" She asked again.

"Well, Natsu here came to me. He started it really." I rolled my eyes.

"That's a lie! You punched me in the fa-"

"And then he melted my ice cream!" I heard Lucy gasp, even Silvia looked taken aback. "He melted the ice cream that I waited a month to get."

"But that is no such reason to use your air magic on him." Silvia scolded.

"It's not like I was planning to!" I countered. "I was just breathing, and it happened."

Silvia nodded as if she knew what was happening. "Intense situations can activate it when you do not know how to do so yourself."

"See? It wasn't my fault." I scoffed.

"But I cannot accept this behavior; you did punch him first, did you not?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah but he-" I tried to say something.

"Then that is all I need to hear, we're leaving." She pulled my arm.

"But it's not even sunset! And I haven't had any ice cream!" I complained.

"What's going on here?" A woman with scarlet hair along with that stripper entered the scene.

"You were fighting me and then suddenly leave the guild." Stripper said.

"Lucy?!" Erza's eyes bugged out.

Natsu was already hugging Lucy, which I did not approve of. Erza and Gray joined the hug fest. Where was that flying blue cat?

"Lucy, Astrid, Damon, and Liz, we need to leave." Silvia ordered.

"Why?" All of us asked.

"Because you have caused too much of a ruckus for one day." She said firmly.

"And who are you?" Gray asked.

"I am Silvia, the Elemen- mmph!" I lunged and clamped my hand over her mouth.

"You don't just walk around announcing to everyone that you're a dragon!" I hissed in her ear. "Especially in front of this idiot, I heard he's looking for an Igneel."

An expression of recognition crossed her facial features and I let go.

* * *

**_*Flashback*_**

_"You're a dragon right? What happened to all of the others?" Lucy asked curiously. "I thought they all disappeared."_

_"There was a crisis in the Dragon Realm and the dragons were needed to return." Silvia said simply._

_"What was the crisis?" I asked._

_"That information is classified." Silvia smiled._

_"But what about Acnologia?" Lucy reminded her._

_"Every now and then, a dragon comes back to Earthland for personal reasons, it is very difficult and not done unless needed to." She explained._

_"Then why are you here?" I raised a brow._

_"I stayed behind to watch over the last four potential Dragon Slayers."_

_"So everyone left you behind so you could stalk us." I came to a conclusion._

**_*Flashback End*_**

* * *

"So this is the boy Igneel raised." She murmured.

"Eh? You know Igneel?!" Apparently she didn't murmur it soft enough "Where is he?!"

"Quick! Make up something!" I ushered her.

"He's dead." Silvia said blankly.

"What?" Natsu gasped.

"No, you idiot! Something less depressing!" I attempted to hit her in the head but she blocked me with her hand.

"What I meant to say was I had a nephew named Igneel. He died a few months after his birth." Silvia explained.

"Oh, so not the dragon Igneel? I'm sorry for your loss." Natsu sighed.

"It's no big deal." Silvia shrugged.

"You really need to work on you socializing skills." I sweat dropped.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking the children." Silvia said to team Natsu.

"Ugh, stop calling us children." Damon sighed.

"Well you are, compared to my age." She replied.

"You aren't taking Luce anywhere." Natsu held Lucy closer, I had to refrain myself from strangling him.

"No, it's okay Natsu. She's Liz's mom." Lucy came up with something.

"Liz? Oh, you mean her?" Natsu pointed to Liz. "And then I'm guessing that's her brother Damon." He growled.

"Hey, what did I do?" Damon took a step back.

"Natsu, I kind of have to go." Lucy tried to get up, key word, _tried._

"Aww, but you just got here." He nuzzled his head in her neck and she blushed.

"Lucy, your face is all red, why?" I asked, just to torment her.

"Sh-Shut up Astrid!" She hid her face.

"Shall we leave you two love birds alone?" Gray smirked.

"Gray! Not you too!" Lucy wailed.

Gray…there was something I had to tell him. I think it was important, oh yeah!

"Oi," I looked at stripper "You were the one who ate all my ice cream back in Clementine."

"Shit." He took a step back.

There was that wind again, I took a few more deep breaths and cracked my knuckles as I walked over to him to add to the effect.

"Astrid." Silvia grabbed the back collar of my jacked and pulled me back. "We're returning to the forest, I believe you four know how to teleport?"

"Yes but-" I tried to argue.

"Sorry Natsu, Gray, Erza. I really have to go this time." Lucy smiled sadly and disappeared.

Damon and Liz teleported back to the forest we trained in as well.

"This is so unfair." I muttered before vanishing.

* * *

**Two chapters in one day! Woo!**

**Review! How many of you had ice cream today? I know I did, and it was strawberry flavored of course**

**Bye! ~**


	43. Falling

**Whale hello there. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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**_~3 month Timeskip!~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

It's been…four months since we started training with Silvia and we've made some progress. Astrid can now blow wind from her free will, but that's all. Liz can grow plants, mainly weeds, out of the ground with lots of time and concentration. Damon can raise the temperature by ten degrees **(A/N Fahrenheit)**. I think I've had the most progress; I can make it drizzle for about thirty seconds.

This was our fourth one-day break from our training. Astrid was overjoyed once again for her ice cream. For the past three months, Silvia had taken the precaution of staying away from Mangolia.

Astrid had gotten her ice cream during our other breaks, so there have been fewer complaints. I still feel a bit bad for leaving Team Natsu like that so quickly, I didn't even get to see the guild.

"So where are we going this time?" Liz asked, wind blowing in her hair.

We were on the wyverns on our way to another city for another break, when I spotted a mountain's peak down below.

"Silvia, was that Mt. Hakobe I saw just now?" I raised a brow.

"MT. HAKOBE?!" Astrid exclaimed. "I don't know any cities by Mt. Hakobe."

"Actually, there's Shirotsume." I pointed out.

"Shirotsume? Never heard of it." Damon mumbled.

"It's where me, Natsu, and Happy went on our first mission as a team." I thought back. "I had to dress up as a maid…"

"What kind of mission was that?!" Liz looked shocked.

"Long story, we're going to Shirotsume aren't we?" I asked my wyvern.

It grunted and nodded.

Suddenly, a white laser shot up into the sky, almost hitting Liz.

"Uh, what was that?" Astrid tried to look around but we were above the clouds, it was hard to see.

"I've got an idea, I can still walk on clouds right?" She asked.

Her wyvern nodded.

Astrid leapt off of her silver wyvern and a dark beam almost hit her. She stuck her head through the clouds to get a better look.

"See anything?" I called.

"No, we're too high up." She stood.

The wyverns, er, Silvia was now hovering over the clouds nervously, her eyes darting everywhere.

"I heard that wyvern scales were really rare and valuable." I remembered the job I went on with Team Natsu. "Maybe whoever it is wants the scales?" I suggested.

"Could be." Damon shrugged. "Either way we have to get out of here before-"

Another hot white beam shot up, almost hitting me; instead it hit the wing of my blue wyvern. It made a wailing noise as blood oozed out.

"Silvia!" I cried out.

My wyvern desperately tried flapping her good wing, but we were slowly losing altitude. Soon enough, the good wing grew tired and flapped slower and slower.

"Lucy!" Liz had tears brimming her eyes.

"OW!" Astrid exclaimed.

Another dark beam had shot up through the clouds and hit Astrid in her side, blood oozed out.

"Ha! That's what you get for stabbing me!" Liz laughed, tears forgotten.

"You little brat, that was over six months ago!" Astrid hissed.

"Silvia, I need a lift." Astrid slowly made her way over to her wyvern.

But she toppled over and instead of landing on the cloud, she was falling alongside me. The force from free falling had caused me to lose my grip, so I was now dropping down to earth, my wyvern ten meters below, and Astrid within touching distance.

I hear Liz screaming from above as a frantic Damon tried to calm her down.

**_~Normal POV~_**

The twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth were coming back from a job when they saw the four distinct shapes of wyverns.

"Oi, Rogue, do you feel like wyvern hunting today? We'll make a lot of money." Sting snickered.

"Sure, why not?" Rogue grunted in response.

They aimed, and they fired. The first few shots seemed to have missed; it was hard to target them with the clouds in the way. But on the third or fourth shot, Sting heard one of the beats wail out in pain when he shot out a holy ray.

"Go Sting-kun!" Lector cheered.

"Fro thinks Rogue hit one too!" Frosch said.

"Sting-kun! A blue wyvern!" Lector jumped excitedly.

"Yeah, but that one over there doesn't look like a wyvern." Sting squinted.

"It looks like…" Rogue stepped forward.

"…a girl?" Sting widened his eyes.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

First, Lucy's wyvern gets hit and she goes bye bye, yeah I was freaking out, but then I got shot with this weird dark stuff.

Then I was slowly making my way to my silver wyvern and it hurt like hell with every step because of this damn wound, and the next moment I was sky diving.

"Astrid!" I heard Lucy call.

"I'm all right!" I gave her the thumbs up sign.

This was amazing, in a life threatening kind of way. All I had to do was find another cloud to land on and everything would be alright. One problem, there weren't any.

"Nevermind!" I shouted.

Now to enjoy this last minute of my life sky diving before I go splat like a watermelon. I was up high, higher than Mt. Hakobe high. When I die, I will haunt whoever did this to me. I was losing blood, and a lot of it.

I was beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded. No, I mustn't pass out; I would rather die eating ice cream. I was determined to survive this fall even if it killed me. Wait, that made no sense…

We were nearing the ground, I already heard the loud boom when Lucy's wyvern hit the hard ground and I winced when I heard the crack of bone.

I focused on the wind, the way it was blowing. Now, just use my magical power to change the direction and-

A huge gust of wind erupted from below me and Luce, we rose a few feet above the ground before falling again, and I heard Lucy grunt from the ten foot drop when she hit the ground, but at least I cushioned our fall. It could have been worse.

See Rogue? I kept my promise. I didn't die.

Black dots crept into my vision, pretty soon I passed out.

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Don't be silly Sting-kun!" Lector laughed. "It's a blue wyvern!"

"Those are…girls." Sting squinted at the two motionless girls falling in the air.

One with dark wavy hair and the other with…is that…

"Blondie!" Sting took off with Rogue at his heels.

* * *

**I'm getting better at this cliffhanger thing**

**Review! You could ask me questions if you're confused on anything about my story if you want**

**Bye! ~**


	44. Dreams

**It's that time of year again, I start school tomorrow *cries* so there is no guarantee that I will be updating everyday like I am now, it's just a warning. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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**_~Lucy's POV~_**

We were close to the ground, like a second from landing kind of close. I was ready to feel the excruciating pain of death, but then there was a whoosh of air that cushioned our fall. Not completely though, I think I dislocated my shoulder again.

I rolled over a bit and got a good look at Astrid. She was bleeding, and bad. Ok, first thing's first.

"Virgo!" I summoned one of my spirits.

"Punishment Princess?" The maid bowed.

"No! Can you pop my shoulder back into place again?" I asked.

"Hai." She did so.

"Thanks Virgo, you can go back now." I smiled weakly while rubbing my shoulder.

She disappeared in a shimmering golden light.

"Wait right there Ash." I whispered to the unconscious girl.

Then I teleported to Shirotsume and ran to the nearest medical store. I grabbed a basket and threw random items inside. Toothpaste, paper towels, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, Q-tips, lollipops, a razor, chips, gauze, and bandages, lots and lots of bandages.

Then I bounced back to where Astrid was and kneeled beside her. I lifted up her shirt to see the wound and quickly applied the rubbing alcohol. She winced a lot but never woke up. I then cleaned the surrounding area with the paper towels.

Once I got a good look at the wound I was certain that none of these supplies would help me right now. There were dark shadows seeping out of her wound. Astrid can be quite an evil person if she wants, but not evil enough for shadows to be traveling throughout her body.

"What is this?!" I exclaimed.

"LUCY!" I heard a voice off in the distance.

It was too low pitched to be Liz, so…Damon? I looked up from my wounded cousin. It was Sting, of all people. That's when everything clicked into place.

It was _Sting_ who almost hit Liz. It was _Sting_ who hit my wyvern. And _Rogue_ hit Astrid, and now she could die! It was all _their_ fault that this was happening.

I ignored him and turned back to Astrid. I quickly applied the gauze. As I was wrapping the bandage around her side, the dark shadows continued to seep out. Two droplets of water fell on my hand.

Huh? It was raining? I looked up, but there wasn't any rain. I felt something tickle my face and I touched me cheek, tears? I quickly wiped them away. Sting and Rogue were close now, only a few meters away with their Exceeds trailing behind them.

"Lucy!" Sting called my name again.

I shot him an evil glare that could rival Erza's or even Astrid's. He froze in his steps. Rogue did too, but for a different reason. His face paled when he saw Astrid, just laying there.

"D-Did I…?" He stuttered.

"Yeah, yeah you did." I showed no sympathy.

"A-At least we got a wyvern." Sting tried to joke.

"Yeah, you got _my_ wyvern." I glared at him again.

I turned my attention to my blue wyvern. My expression softened, I examined the injured wing.

"Can you go into tokabi mode and find the others?" I wondered.

She nodded in response, and poofed. Thousands of tokabi, each a different shade of blue, scuttled off into the direction of the mountains. I noticed that each tokabi had a small wound just above the left shoulder.

"Lucy I-" Sting tried to say something, probably an apology or something.

"I don't want to hear it." I snapped.

I shakily walked over to Astrid and knelt beside her again.

"Wh-What's up with th-the sh-shadows?" I asked.

"It's a unique attack use b-by the Sh-Shadow Dragon." Rogue choked out.

"What does it do?" I asked nervously.

"I-I thought they were only wyverns, I didn't know Astrid was up there otherwise I never would have-"

"_What_. Does. It. _Do_?" I asked more seriously.

"It's a lethal attack. One hit is all it takes to kill."

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Astrid's going to die…Astrid's going to die….Astrid's going to die…

That sentence rang out through my head.

Liz is going to love thi- wait, that's not a good thing!

Well, now all I have to do it wait.

I heaved out a sigh and waited.

"Uh…Lucy?" Sting waved his hand in front of me.

"Hm?" I looked at him, anger forgotten.

There was no point at being mad at either of them; it was obvious what this was.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" He asked.

"Oh, well this is obviously a bad dream, so all I have to do is wait for me to wake up, or wait for the real Astrid to splash me with ice cold water and wake up." I said with a smile.

"But this isn't a dream." Rogue said, still pretty depressed.

"Don't be silly, I know a dream when I have one." I laughed it off. "I'll prove it."

I reached over and yanked one of Astrid's daggers off her chain and held it up. Both Dragon Slayers and their Exceeds widened their eyes when they saw me drag the weapon across my arm.

"Lucy!" Sting snatched the weapon away from me and tossed it aside.

"What? See? No blood." I grinned. "Just a really bad dream."

Their jaws dropped. (A/N And I'm sure yours did too) And that's when the wave of water hit me like a typhoon.

Of course it didn't affect me that much though since I can breathe underwater and all. But it was still freezing like I predicted.

"Finally." Astrid huffed. "I thought you were dead or something."

"Yeah, I thought you were dead for a moment too." I got up and stretched.

"Huh?" She raised a brow.

"Nothing, just some weird dream." I shrugged it off.

"I want to hear it. You can tell me when we're on our way to the next city, it seemed like this month would never end." She sighed.

"Now if you'll excuse me," I got up. "I need to change out of these soaked clothes."

"Hey, it's not my fault; you're the one who overslept." She raised her hands in defense.

Half an hour later, we were in the air.

"Now spill." Astrid smirked.

"Okay, so we had just passed Mt. Hakobe…" I began to tell her my dream.

Damon and Liz leaned in to listen, and I bet Silvia was as well. I felt my wyvern shudder underneath me when I got to the part where she got shot in the wing. Astrid scoffed in disbelief while Liz laughed her head off when Astrid was hit by Rogue's shadow.

"Of course I would, I'm just that brilliant." Astrid scoffed.

I had just explained how Astrid had cushioned our fall with the air.

"Yeah right." I heard Liz mumble.

I continued on, going to the medical store, seeing Sting and Rogue.

"Then I sliced my arm with your dagger and woke up." I finished.

"Rogue isn't that stupid to shoot blindly in the air." Astrid snorted. "Sting, probably, but not Rogue."

"Whatever." I shrugged. "It was just a dream after all."

"Ugh, can you go any faster?!" Astrid hissed.

It was obviously directed towards Silvia, and her wyvern jerked her of its back in response.

"Oof!" She landed on a cloud. "Funny, but you don't really expect me to cloud jump all the way to wherever we're going?" Astrid crossed her arms.

The silver wyvern flew higher and did a barrel roll in the air and if to say, 'Uh, Yeah'.

"Tch, lousy overgrown lizards. Well fine." Astrid leaped to the next cloud. "See if I care."

**~Astrid's POV~**

Wow, all this cloud jumping was starting to make my legs ache.

"Are we almost th- oh, nevermind." A cluster of buildings came into view.

Just in time too, the clouds were starting to thin out.

"Clover Town?" Lucy examined the town below us.

"It's small." I scrunched up my nose. "Lower chance of owning some ice cream store."

"Can we visit a magic store this time? Lucy whined. "All we ever do is get ice cream."

"Well, it's not my fault that we get lost for half the day." I grumbled. "And by the time we actually locate the dang shop it's close to closing time."

"Can we just visit the magic shop first real quick? Pleeeeaaaase?" Lucy looked at me with those eyes.

"Yeah Ashtwid, pweeeaase?" Liz smirked and then looked at me with those eyes as well.

Damon gave me an apologetic look as if to say 'I'm not arguing on this one' and turned away.

"F-Fine." My eye twitched. "Five minutes, that's all you get."

"Wait, why do we have to ask you anyways?" Lucy thought aloud.

"Because I'm the oldest." I smirked.

"No, Silvia is." Liz scoffed.

"Silvia isn't human." I pointed out.

"She can be if she wants." Liz huffed.

"That's only because she's a freaky overgrown lizard with weird powers." I scoffed.

"Stop calling her that! She's a dragon!" Liz hissed.

"Oh yeah?" I raised a brow. "If you were to shrink her and then strip her of her powers, than what would she be? Right, a lizard."

"But she'd still be a really nice lizard…" Liz muttered.

"Yeah, a lizard that overworks us for a month and only gives us a day of freedom." I rolled my eyes.

"That is not true! Silvia is like a calm motherly figure." Liz's eyes sparked.

"Yeah, some mother she is. She didn't make a move to save you from the quick sand until the last minute." I laughed.

"It was a t-test." Liz shuddered at the memory.

"Sure it was." I laughed some more at her reaction.

"What were we talking about again?" Lucy sighed.

"How were going to go to the ice cream store first." I reminded her.

"Oh ye- wait, I thought we were going to the magic store!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah yeah, are we going to land or what?" I huffed.

With an irritated grunt, my silvery scaled wyvern swooped down lower to the ground along with the other three wyverns.

"Wait, where are the jewels?!" I sup around and searched for the money.

"Looking for this?" Lucy held the bag.

"Why you-!" I ran over to murder her.

"Eep!" She disappeared a split second before I could tackle her down.

"Liz catch!" Lucy was a few meters away and tossed the bag over to the purplette.

"Hehe…" I cracked my knuckled and made my way over to the frightened girl.

But of course, she too, vanished and appeared behind Damon.

"Hold this!" She hissed, tossing it his way.

"Huh? Wait no!" But he already had it in his hands.

"Oh? So you're going to join them too huh?" I grinned.

"N-No! Here, take it." He held out the bag.

"Damon, no!" Lucy yelled and snatched it out of his hands.

"I'M NOT GIVING IT BACK UNTIL WE GO TO THE MAGIC STORE!" She ran for her life, me at her heels, and the rest trailing not far behind.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I ran through the streets of Clover Town at full speed. I could hear Astrid's light steps behind me.

"Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" I clutched the bag closer to my chest.

"Hand over the money and I won't." I heard her chuckle.

"But I want to go to the magic store!" I spotted said place around the corner.

I made a sharp right turn and quickly entered the magic shop.

"How may I help you to…day?" The shopkeeper looked at me strangely as I darted through the aisles in search for a hiding spot.

Seconds later, I could hear the doors burst open.

"Luuuucy~" And innocent voice cooed.

But I knew there was nothing innocent about that voice at all I shuddered and hid behind a rack of color changing clothes. Ok sor far so goo-

"Oh, there you are." I heard her and someone yanked me out of my hiding spot.

"A-Astrid," I smiled weakly. "I was just uh, looking for clothes."

"Uh huh, give me the bag." She tried to grab it, but I held it out of her grasp.

"No." I huffed.

"Lucy…" Astrid growled. "Give *grab* me *grab* the *grab *BAG!" She kept trying get it.

"But I want to buy something from here!" I whined.

"Tch, what's with you and magic stores? You have some kind of obsession." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"I'm the one who has an obsession?!" I exclaimed. "You're one to talk."

"Lucy?" Someone said.

"Hm?" I turned around. "Lyon?!"

"I thought I heard a familiar voice around here." He nodded.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"I was on a job with my team, and Sherry wanted to stop by the magic store." He explained. "And you? Where's the rest of team Natsu?"

"Here we go again." Astrid groaned. "Seriously Luce, you should just write a letter and hand it to anyone who asks."

"Um…I kind of left." I scratched the back of my neck.

"Why leave Team Natsu? You looked happy." Lyon looked confused.

"Not Team Natsu, the guild. I'm surprised you haven't heard." I chuckled softly.

"Hmm," Lyon stared at the ground. "Why not join Lamia Scale?"

"Eh?!" Say what now?

"This again?" Astrid huffed. "Could you make this quick? I still have to pester Lucy and get my bag back."

"And you are?" Lyon raised a brow.

"Astrid." She crossed her arms.

"My name is Lyon Vastia." He held out his hand, which Astrid didn't shake.

"Yeah, I heard." She sighed. "I'll be looking at these magic coolers, I heard they can keep things frozen for up to a month, it's perfect."

"Have you thought about what I said?" He asked.

"Huh? What'd you say?" What was he talking about?

"Joining Lamia Scale." He reminded me.

"Oh yeah, no thanks. I'm kind of busy." I shrugged it off.

"I see," He shrugged it off like it was expected.

"Was there any particular reason you wanted me to join?" I asked.

"Honestly? I was wondering if I could make Juvia jealous. And I would have loved to see the look on Gray's face if he found out a member of his old guild joined mine." He chuckled.

"I thought it'd be something like that." I smiled. "Good luck with Juvia, although she seems to be madly in love with Gray."

"Oi, just because he won the fight on the island doesn't mean he's going to get Juvia." He argued.

"Lyon!" Sherry ran over. "Lucy? Oh, Lyon, Jura is waiting outside along with the others."

"Well I'd better get going then." He said.

"Bye." I waved.

"Astrid?" I walked over to where the coolers were. "Where'd you g- kya!"

Astrid, being the sneaky devil she is, tripped me and snatched the bag away when I fell and dropped it.

"VICTORY IS MINE!" She hollered as she held the bag in the air and sprinted off to wherever the ice cream store was.

* * *

**Yes! Mission complete chapter finished!**

**Review if you want…**

**Bye! ~**


	45. Dragon Slayers? Yeah right

**Let's skip forward a few of years, why not? It's not like anything major is going to happen over the years, right? I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~3 Year Timeskip!~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Those three years really paid off. We were Dragon Slayers, I like that name. Dragon Slayer….I still couldn't believe it, and if you had my powers I doubt you would too.

So I'm an Air Dragon Slayer that can teleport and I'm kick ass at combat. Jumping and walking on clouds had got to be my favorite thing to do. I can make people suffocate from my own free will too, although Silvia forbids it. I can also fly, walk in the air, create seventy miles an hour wind, and other stuff. I eat air, which may not sound all that interesting since everyone can eat air, but it's an endless supply of magical power for me.

Lucy can summon up to six spirits at a time before she starts feeling dizzy, she too, can teleport while bringing people and other objects with her. And of course, she's a Water Dragon Slayer. She hit the jackpot if you ask me. She can breathe underwater, swim faster than a torpedo shoots through water, and talk to _FISH_. I mean, talking to fish? And eating water, er, drinking it. At least she doesn't drown.

Damon was taught Fire Dragon Slaying magic like that pink headed idiot Nataku, or was it Natami? Natsao? I forget. He can eat fire of course. He can also raise the temperature fifty degrees from its normal one **(A/N Once again, Fahrenheit). **Melting practically anything is his specialty though, which is why I make sure he stays fifty feet away from me when I'm having my ice cream.

Liz got pretty lucky too. She can grow anything with her Earth Dragon Slayer techniques. She can also eat anything as long as it's from the earth, and she says it tastes delicious believe it or not.

But the four of us together make one hell of a team. We can all roar like all Dragon Slayers. But our Elemental Union Roar thingy has got to be one of the best perks of being a Dragon Slayer. With all that dirt, fire, water and high pressured air, the victim would be lucky to survive.

"You have done well over these years children." Silvia praised us. "I am proud of each and every one of you. Especially you, Astrid."

"Uh…thanks?" I shrugged.

Silvia never praised me in particular. It was always that goody two shoes Liz, or the over achieving Lucy, Damon would be recognized every now and then but not me. _Never_ me. Something wasn't right here.

"I agree Astrid has made the most progress." Lucy nodded.

"I did? You can talk to the fish." I pointed out.

"But you can walk on air." Damon chuckled.

"I agree with them, Astrid's the best!" Liz beamed.

Yeah, there was definitely something wrong here.

"Who are you and what have you done to the real Liz?" I raised a brow. "Not that I mind, but it'd be good to know."

I then heard laughter, Liz's laughter to be exact. But the thing is, she wasn't laughing. I could be going crazy, that's an option, but I doubt it.

"Is something wrong, honey?" Rogue asked, concerned.

Hold up, where did he come from?! And did he call me what I think he called me? I heard more of Liz's laughter, but it seemed to be echoing throughout my head. Maybe I was going crazy. I felt something on my face; I reached up to touch it. When I pulled my hand back I saw, is that mud?

"What the?" I opened my eyes and got up.

Surprisingly, I was in a tree.

"Where'd Rogue go?" I blinked and looked around.

"Oh? So you were dreaming about Rogue?" Lucy smirked.

Liz giggled.

"Wait, I was asleep? Then that means…oh." I remembered.

That's right, it's been about three years since we've started training with Silvia, give or take a few months. And we weren't all that awesome at Dragon Slaying magic as I dreamt we were.

Yeah, it was true that I could still walk on clouds and eat air. I eventually learned how to blow wind from my free will, but I was never able to master the ability to suffocate people. But that was it, no Iron fist of the air dragon, no air dragons roar. Just some air magic.

Lucy could manipulate the water, freeze it, heat it up, and evaporate it. She could eat/drink and breathe under it too. She too, was not able to learn the Dragon Slaying magic, it was sad, really. But at least she became an advanced water mage.

Damon can do some basic fire attacks, normal flames though, not those weird purple ones. He can raise the temperature like in my dream, but only by twenty degrees or so but that's it. He eats fire, which is really weird, and gross. Just like Lucy and I, he was unable to do any Dragon Slayer attacks.

Liz can eat, a lot. Dirt? She says it tastes like a gourmet meal. Diamonds? No problem. And for a girl like her, she packs a punch, literally. She is the only one out of the four of us to do any Dragon Slayer magic whatsoever. And it's not even an Iron Fist of the Earth Dragon; it was an Iron Fist of the _Elemental _dragon. Seriously? When did she get so lucky?

Silvia says it's because she's the youngest out of the group and that Dragon Slayers learn their magic when their kids but whatever, we all know Silvia was playing favorites.

Liz was now giggling out of control and it looked like she was having a seizure.

"What up with you?" I raised a brow.

Oh yeah, my face. I wiped off some of the mud.

"Why did you wipe mud all over my face?" I sighed.

"It's not *giggle* mud." Liz laughed.

I sniffed the substance and my eyes went wide. I quickly jumped off the tree branch and dashed over to the small stream.

Oh she is so dead.

* * *

**_~Later~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I dusted off my hands and walked away from the crime scene.

"Lu…cy…" Liz reached her hand out weakly.

After I had washed and scrubbed all of it off of my face, which took forever, I had to give Liz some payback. This is exactly why she is crumpled to the ground; I turned around and admired my work.

"Liz!" Lucy ran over to the injured girl. "What happened? Who did this?"

"As…trid…" Liz gasped out. "I don't have… much longer to… live. Avenge….me…."

"Oh puh leaze, now you're just exaggerating." I put my hands on my hips. "I need a vacation."

"We all do." Damon sighed.

"What happened to you?" I looked at him.

His hands were all scraped up and his clothes were dirty.

"I fell out of a tree while napping." He sulked. "Again."

"Of course you did." I shook my head. "Silvia, can we get a vacation?"

No answer.

"Silvia, I know you're there." I huffed in annoyance.

The silver dragon materialized out of thin air behind me, I flinched a little when I turned around.

"God, you have to stop doing that." I breathed. "Can we get a vacation?"

"No." She replied.

"But why not?" I asked.

"It has only been a fortnight since you last twenty four hour break." She said in a monotone voice.

"Oh yeah, because twenty four hours is such a long time. Come on, when I say vacation, I mean a week tops." I complained.

"It will interfere with your training." She reminded me.

"It will interfere with your training." I mocked her voice. "Well you know what? I can't even do a simple 'Iron Fist of the Air Dragon' yet let alone an elemental one. So I think a week won't interfere with anything." I argued.

"Liz was able to make progress in the Dragon Slaying area, her training will be disrupted." Silvia's voice was serious.

"Well then we can leave her behind." I suggested.

"Hey!" I heard her squeak.

"I do not think she will be pleased to hear that." Silvia pointed out.

"Well I don't really care about her happiness." I scoffed.

"Hey!" She squeaked again. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

"Did you just hear something?" I looked around.

"Astrid!" Liz hissed.

"There is goes again!" I gasped. "It must be a bug."

"Lucy! Astrid's being mean again!" Liz wailed.

"Oh shut it you." I rolled my eyes. "You're fifteen now, you shouldn't be whining like a baby."

"Fattie." I heard her mumble.

"What was that?" I raised a brow.

"Nothing!" Liz smiled.

"Sure." I rolled my eyes.

"Hey Ash, I convinced Silvia to give us a one week vacation while you were arguing with Lizzy." Damon stepped into the conversation.

"No way." My jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I helped too." Lucy nodded.

"Thanks, although I would have managed to do it myself." I nodded.

"Sure you would have." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You and Silvia can argue for hours." Damon agreed.

"Oh shut up." I huffed. "At least I don't fall out of trees."

"Hey! I'm working on it!" He protested.

"For the past three years." I scoffed.

"She's right you know." Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not obsessed with ice cream!" He retorted.

"It's not an obsession." I denied. "It's a way of living."

"Whatever." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Says the girl who can't choose between two boys." I grinned.

"Wh-What are you talking about?!" Lucy became flustered.

"About Sting and Natsu of course." I chuckled. "You mumble their names in your sleep."

"It's kind of annoying." Liz pointed out.

"I do not!" She denied.

"Do too." Damon agreed.

"You're going to have to choose between them at some point." I told her.

"I don't even like them in that way." She exclaimed.

"Uh huh, whatever you say." I chuckled. "Just hurry up and choose before the readers get angry."

"What readers?" She was confused.

"Huh? Readers? I never said that." What was she talking about?

"Oh…well anyways, we all know you and Rogue have something going on." She grinned evilly.

"Yeah, this thing called friendship." I snapped. "Seriously? We have this conversation every week."

"Yet you never say your true feelings." Lucy sighed.

"And neither do you." I reminded her.

"That's because I don't have those feelings." She scoffed her cheeks crimson.

"That's not what you face says." I smirked.

"Uh, that's because it's cold." She came up with an excuse.

"I can help with that." Damon turned up the heat, literally.

"Now it's too hot." Liz whined.

"Well I can't turn it back down! You'll just have to wait a few minutes." He shrugged.

"This is the perfect time to get tome ice cream." I decided. "Are we leaving or what?"

* * *

**These chapters will get better, I promise!**

**Review! I've been addicted to tic tacs for the past few days, I'm eating them like popcorn.**

**Bye! ~**


	46. Love Rival

**I MADE A POLL FOR EITHER NALU OR STICY, VOTE NOW!*Comes up with good idea* Excellent *says it like Mr. Burns would* I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

The four of us had just arrived in this city called Suza and Astrid was itching to go to, yes, another ice cream store. But we had to find an inn or hotel to book for a week.

"What do you want to do first? Ooh! Can we go to a water park?! Or how about a hot spring? Maybe we should climb a mountain! I've never been to school I wonder what its li-" Liz was too excited.

"LIZ!" Astrid hissed. "The point of a vacation is to _relax_, no go to _school_! Do you know how many people dread school? How they would rather die?"

"And how you know that?" I raised a brow.

"I read it in this one book." She shrugged.

"And books are _so_ interesting." Liz rolled her eyes.

"They are!" Ash and I said together.

"Tac Tics! Try some free samples!" A salesman shouted.

"Tac tics?" Astrid frown. "Is that a type of ice cream?"

Turns out, tac tics were these little hard mint candy things. They were sugar free and came in different flavors. **(A/N I let my tic tac addiction get the better of me, so why not put it in the story?)**

"I don't like them." Liz scrunched up her nose.

"Yeah, same." Astrid spat one out.

"I guess they're okay…" I sucked on an orange one.

"Oh my gosh." Damon popped another one in his month. "These are awesome!"

"You seem to have taken a liking to these cinnamon tac tics sir, would you mind buying a pack for 100J?" The salesman asked.

"Astrid, where's the money?" Damon searched.

"Uh, no way." Astrid pulled the bag of money away from his grasp. "Not until we get ice crea-"

Astrid stopped midsentence when Damon shot five cinnamon tac tics into her mouth. I was assuming that they must have been really hot and spicy because her face turned red and her eyes widened. Seeing that there was an opening, Damon lunged forward and managed to snatch the bag away.

"Here's 1,000J, ten packs please." He breathed.

"Ten?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah why not?" He shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me," he shoved the packs in his pockets. "I have to make my escape before Astrid here kills me."

"Oh you better run." Astrid growled.

I sighed as I watched the two run off into the distance.

"Bakas…" I muttered. "C'mon Liz, let's go find a place to stay."

"Hai." She skipped along the sidewalk.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Now you'll think next time you try a move like that again, right?" I grunted.

"Yes sir." Damon sulked.

"It's ma'am." I snapped.

We had run about eight blocks down the streets of Suza before I finally caught up with the brat. I hit him on the head, hard. Then I gave him a lecture, I don't know how, but then we ended up in an ice cream store.

I know Lucy will hate me for it, but I couldn't help myself. I was drawn to it like a magnet; we were inseparable, ice cream and I.

"I'll have plain vanilla, and do you have tac tics as a topping? If so, I'd have cinnamon ones please." Damon ordered.

"And I'll have…can I see your menu? YOU HAVE A STRAWBERRY SPECAIL?! Well today is my lucky day, I'll take that then." I grinned widely.

"You're never going to get a boyfriend with that attitude." Damon shook his head.

"And you'll never get a girlfriend if you keep popping those tac tics in your mouth." I scoffed.

"But they're so good!" He argued.

**_~Normal POV~_**

The Twin Dragon Slayers had just come back from a job that requested them to defeat fifty forest Vulcans off in the east forest and were walking through the streets of Suza on their way back to Sabertooth.

"You were amazing Sting-kun!" Lector would praise his partner every five seconds.

It was midday and there were children and adults milling about.

"Tac Tics! Try a free sample!" One man shouted.

"The end is near!" Another man with a cardboard sign cowered in fear.

"Try some of our famous ice cream at Daisy's Best!" A petite woman smiled. "It's just down the block!"

_'Ice cream'_ Rogue thought. _'Astrid likes ice cream doesn't she? But I haven't seen her in years; I wonder how she's doing. Or if she's okay.'_ A worried expression crossed the Shadow Dragon Slayer's face.

"Oi, isn't she that Astrid chick?" Sting stopped walking.

_'If she's here then Lucy might be nearby, although I don't smell her.'_ The blonde thought to himself.

Rogue stopped and stared, she looked good. Her hair was wavier and she seemed to have gotten taller, but she was still Astrid. Strong, independent, beauti- wait, what?! _'What am I thinking?'_ Rogue mentally slapped himself. He should stop putting those thoughts in his head; she probably doesn't even like him that way.

She was looking at something, or rather some_one_. Rogue followed her gaze and instantly frowned. I was a guy, around the same age as her. He had hair the color of fire and green eyes. _'Is this the type of guys she likes?'_ Rogue thought.

Astrid smiled brightly and it almost made the Shadow Dragon Slayer's heart stop. They began to talk and Rogue turned and walked away.

"Did you hear that? I think they said the words 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend'." Sting said after a long period of silence.

"Yeah I heard it." Rogue grumbled, he clenched his fist.

With superhuman hearing how could he _not_ hear it?

"Sorry man, I thought you'd really get that girl." Sting said solemnly.

Rogue had heard them say it; he had heard _her_ say it. He just didn't want to believe it.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Finally, it's been forever. We'd gotten a decent place to stay at for a decent price, only 30,000J a day for two bedrooms a luxurious bathroom, a kitchen the size of a large closet, and a small living room.

Now all we have to do is look for Damon and Astri-

"I'M HOME!" I heard Ash holler.

"We're only staying here for a week, so you can't really call it a home." I sweat dropped. "How did you even know we were staying here anyways?"

"I can sense the annoying aura of Liz from miles away." She smiled proudly.

"Sure." I rolled my eyes. "Or you could be picking up some of those special dragon senses."

"You mean superhuman hearing and superhuman scent? No thanks, its sounds too inhuman." She scowled.

"Yeah I guess it does, but really, how did you really know we were here?" I asked again.

"Liz was climbing the tree outside, but then she fell." Astrid cracked up. "I think she got it from her brother."

"I can hear you." Liz growled, brushing the dirt off her jeans, and then eating it…

"Yeah I know you can." Astrid yawned. "I'm tired."

"It's only three." I gave her the 'Are you kidding me?' look.

"We must have traveled halfway around Earthland on the back of those wyverns, it must be lag." She shrugged.

"But it only took thirty minutes to get here." Damon popped another tac tic in his mouth.

"Do you know how fast those things fly?" I huffed.

"Don't call them _things_, it's Silvia!" Liz whined.

"What did I say about whining?" Astrid looked at her.

"I wasn't whining!" She whined.

"Uh, yeah you were." Ash countered.

"No!" Liz wailed.

"Ok, now you're wailing." Astrid pointed out.

"Am not." She stuck her tongue out.

"I'm going to bed." Ash gave up.

**_~Day 2~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I woke up to the sun shining in my face.

"What the- who pulled the curtains back?!" I hissed.

"Morning, sleepyhead." An all too familiar voice sounded.

I whipped my head towards the door and saw _Rogue_ of all people leaning against the frame.

_"Rogue?!"_ I gawked.

"Rogue?!" He gawked and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Wait, LIZ!" I growled.

"So _that_ was Rogue." She morphed back into her original form and giggled.

"Wait, how do you know what he looks like?" I asked the little devil.

"I saw him yesterday." She jumped onto the bed, much to my annoyance.

"Really? Where? When?" I blinked.

"Eager are we?" She scoffed.

"No," I scoffed. "I haven't seen him in the past three years; of course I'd me curious."

"I saw him when I was hanging from that tree," She sighed. "I fell because I saw a flying cat."

"Frosch?" I asked remembering the Exceed.

"How am I supposed to know?" Liz shrugged. "Lucy said that it's time for lunch. She and Damon are waiting by that one fountain we saw passing by."

"Lunch?!" I exclaimed. "That means I slept for…almost twenty hours!"

My stomach growled.

"Ice cream." I blurted out.

"When was the last time you've had a decent meal?" Liz sighed.

"There was that one time…I forgot how many months ago though." I thought hard.

"Wow, months? No wonder you're so fat." She scoffed.

"Do you have a death wish?" A vein popped.

**_~Normal POV~_**

Sting Eucliffe was bored. Rogue was sulking in the hotel room and the exceeds were still sleeping. Someone had spilled a bunch of those cinnamon tac tics on the ground and he was kicking them around when he heard laugher, not just anyone's laughter, but _Lucy's_ laughter.

But before he could search for the root of the laughter, he heard a voice, not a feminine one, but a male's voice.

Sting spotted Lucy with that same guy that was with Astrid yesterday, was he two timing them? He jumped behind one of the shrubs by the fountain the two were at. It was really hard to hear what they were saying, but he caught the words '**I**' '**love**' and '**you**'. He didn't know why, but his heart sank.

**_~Team Natsu~_**

Team Natsu were looking for a place to stay for the day since they had failed their mission. Natsu and Gray had ended up destroying everything, and yeah, Erza was a little part of it too.

"I smell…Luce!" Natsu's eyes widened. "And something else too." His expression darkened.

"Lucy's here?" Gray gawked.

"We haven't seen her in years!" Erza exclaimed.

"Aye! Maybe she's with Astrid." Happy flew around.

"No, it smells like a guy." He unconsciously growled.

The four turned around the corner and saw the blonde mage sitting by a fountain with a redhead. Natsu wasn't too pleased with that. It took both Erza and Gray to hold him back.

'**I**'…'**love**'…'**you**'…

Lucy words were sometimes interrupted by the trickling water, but Natsu heard it. He stopped struggling and sank to his knees.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

What's taking Ash and Liz so long?" I whined.

"I don't know." Damon at another tac tic.

"Would you stop that? The crunching gets annoying." I scowled.

"But **I love** them, **you** wouldn't understand." He rolled his eyes.

"**I **don't think you **love** them, it's just a weird addiction **you** have." I scoffed. "Oh look there they are!"

"Lucy!" Liz grinned, but as she was running over here, she bumped into someone.

"Sorry." The person grunted and walked away.

"Rogue?" Astrid grabbed his arm.

"Uh yeah, I was coming here to get Sting." Rogue grunted.

"Aw man, you blew my cover." Sting came out of the bushes, he was grinning, but something about him seemed off.

"How long were you here?" Damon looked at him.

"Long enough to hear." Sting sent Damon a dirty glare.

Why? No idea.

"Hear what?" I asked.

"Everything." He looked away. "Natsu did too."

"What? Natsu's here?" I spun my head around, looking for him.

What does he mean everything? He knows that Damon is addicted to tac tics, so what?

"Yeah." He appeared around to corner along with the rest of my old team.

My face brightened up a bit.

"Happy! Erza! Gray!" I called their names.

Once everyone gathered they all stayed quiet. For some odd reason Sting, Rogue, and Natsu were sending Damon dirty looks and evil glares.

"What's up with them?" Ash leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"No idea." I shrugged.

"So," Natsu shifted uncomfortably.

"Who's the guy?" Sting and Rogue said at the same time.

* * *

**See? Didn't I tell you there was going to be a longer chapter? And as always, a cliffhanger, it's only mandatory.**

**For all you people who got confused, I bolded the words 'I love you' so you know how the jealous Dragon Slayers heard it.**

**I also said 'tac tics' instead of 'tic tacs' for copyright reasons**

**One again, I have a poll, you have to be registered to vote though**

**Review! I think I earned some this time, now if you'll excuse me; I have some ice cream to eat!**

**Bye! ~**


	47. We Meet Again

**I love all these reviews; they give me something to smile about, seriously, thank you. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

_'Guy? What gu- oh Damon._' Lucy nodded when she knew who they were talking about.

"You mean tac tic addict over here?" Astrid hung her right arm over his shoulders, and squeezed.

Rogue tensed a bit while Natsu and Sting watched their rival carefully.

"Ow." Damon winced.

Lucy chuckled softly, remembering the time when Astrid and Damon challenged each other to a wrestling match. Astrid won of course, almost choking Damon to death in the process.

"What's so funny Luce?" Natsu tore his dark glare away from Damon, not that anyone noticed.

"Nothing." Lucy smiled softly.

_'Oh, so now she's not telling me things huh?'_ Natsu was offended.

"So um, how long have you uh, known him?" Rogue asked, trying not to sound too curious.

"Eh, a few years." Astrid shrugged.

"Do you guys see each other often?" Sting looked from Lucy to Damon.

"See each other? We've been _living_ with each other for over three years, it gets annoying." Astrid rolled her eyes.

_"Years?"_ The three chocked out. _"Living?"_ Their voices cracked.

"Well _yeah_, that's what I said." Astrid scoffed.

"D-Do you love him?" Natsu stuttered.

Happy was smiling mischievously; Erza and Gray were looking from the Dragon Slayers to Lucy and Astrid as if they were watching a movie. A really good movie, all they needed was popcorn.

"Of course." Lucy said like it was an easy question. "And I'm sure Ash does too. Why would we be with him for years if we hated him?"

Natsu paled, Sting almost fell off the bench, and Rogue's throat went dry. _'No'_ they all thought. _'This can't be'._

"I love Damon," Lucy said again. "I love Liz, I love Ash. Like family." Lucy beamed.

"Yeah, I'd love to kill every one of them, except for Lucy." Astrid nodded in agreement.

"S-So you love them like family." Sting clarified.

"Pretty much." shrugged.

The three Dragon Slayers let out a sigh of relief. Damon ate three more tic tacs, the three guys glared over at him.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" He asked in defense.

_'Maybe because you were practically on a date with Astrid.' _Rogue thought. _'Because you were trying to steal Luce away from me.' Natsu _mentally growled. _'Lucy is mine and mine only, you stay away._' Sting gave Damon the evil eye.

"Yeah, stop tormenting my brother!" Liz squeaked.

"Where did you come from?" Sting looked at her weirdly.

"I was here the whole time!" She exclaimed.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you appeared out of thin air." Sting decided.

"Did not!" Liz protested, although she could.

"Did too." He nodded.

"Not!" She whined.

"What," Astrid huffed. "Did I say about whining?"

"Hey," Natsu looked at Liz more closely. "I know you."

"Yeah, you almost hit me with your stupid dragon's roar." Liz huffed and crossed her arms.

"You did what?!" Erza widened her eyes.

"Oh, you must be Team Natsu from Fairy Tail." Damon ignored the glares.

"We don't appreciate what you did to Lucy." Liz, Damon, and Astrid stepped in front of said girl.

"Guys…" Lucy sweat dropped.

Team Natsu faltered a little and Sting smirked. The White Dragon Slayer walked over to Lucy.

"And you are?" Liz raised a brow.

"Sting Eucliffe, why?" He looked at the girl who had approached him.

"What is your relationship with Lucy?" Liz asked in a monotone.

"Well, that's a trick question." He smirked. "Lucy is my soon to be girlfriend."

"What?!" Lucy blushed.

"It seems like Lucy does not like your decision, step away from the blonde please." Liz ordered.

"I like your attitude." Natsu grinned.

"What are you? Some type of bodyguard?" Sting scoffed.

"You could say that." Liz shrugged.

"Some bodyguard you are, I bet I could beat you without magic." Sting cracked his knuckled.

"Try me." Liz smirked.

"Uh, Sting? Could you not?" Lucy asked.

"But she won't let me near you!" He complained.

"That's because," Natsu walked over to Lucy. "She belongs with m-"

"You can't go to her either." Liz stepped in front of him.

"And why not?" Natsu looked bewildered.

"Because you made her cry." Liz stated simply.

"Mmhm." Astrid smirked as well. "You should keep your distance."

"I second that motion." Damon agreed.

"No one asked you." Natsu hissed at him.

"Okay." Damon backed away a little.

"So uh, what have you guys been doing for the past years?" It was hard to communicate with her old friends with a human barricade in her way.

"We had the S Class trials six months ago!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Did you make it?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"No," His expression grew dark. "I was sick."

"No way." Lucy gawked.

"You should have seen the look on his face when he found out that he couldn't go." Gray chuckled.

"Oi, shut up!" Natsu yelled.

"Who won then?" Lucy was curious.

"Gajeel." Natsu spat.

"Okay, touchy subject. What about you Sting, Rogue?" Lucy talked to the Sabertooth members.

A low growl escaped from Natsu's throat but Lucy didn't hear it, Astrid had to stifle a laugh.

"We were training in the northern mountains; we say a few wyverns by Mt. Hakobe." Sting recalled.

"Oh really?" Liz was interested. "How many? What did they look like?

"I don't know, three? Four? It was cloudy so we couldn't see." Sting shrugged. "And we're not stupid enough to blindly shoot everywhere."

"What were you doing Lushee?" Happy flew above her.

"We were with Silvia!" Liz beamed.

"You mean that woman we saw in the ice cream store that one time?" Natsu remembered. "What were you doing with her?"

"She's Liz and Damon's mom, _remember_?" Astrid hoped the two would get the hint.

"Oh yeah, our mom." Damon nodded.

"I thought Lucy was training though." Gray said aloud.

"I was, Silvia was my trainer." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"What did you learn?" Erza asked.

"It's top secret." Lucy snickered.

A low growl was heard, and neither Dragon Slayer was the cause.

"What was that?" Natsu jumped into his fighting stance.

"Um," Astrid raised a hand. "It was me, I haven't eaten all day."

"Oh yeah, I was planning on going to this one café I saw, but I got a little distracted with this reunion stuff."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Natsu grinned. "Let's eat!"

* * *

**_~Somewhere~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

A crème colored file was slapped onto the neat mahogany desk.

"We have new leads, sir." A man with pitch black sunglasses, and a dark suit announced.

Many people with identical attire lined the walls, men and women. More like goons. They stood silently in the room; the only light was from the dim sunlight that streamed through the thick curtains.

"Thank you Marcel, you may return to your position." The man who sat at the desk snatched up the folder and its contents.

"Hai, boss." The goon bowed and walked to the west wall.

'Boss' dumped out the contents and examined the photo that was paper clipped to a variety of papers. It was a picture of a young woman in her early twenties. Dark brown wavy hair and the unforgettable stormy grey eyes.

"You didn't think you could hide from me forever, did you? Astrid." He whispered in a malicious voice.

Evil laughter echoed throughout the dark room.

* * *

**I'm sure you all know who he is, EVIL UNCLE MAKES A COMEBACK!**

**Review! It's not much, but it's more than 1,200 words at least.**

**Bye! ~**


	48. Up In The Air

**I couldn't stop thinking about writing this chapter during the boring fundraiser assembly while I was in school. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Suza POV~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

We sat outside at one of the café's outdoor tables. Lucy was sipping a latte, Liz ate some macaroons, Damon didn't order anything because his tac tics were enough, Happy ordered a fish; I was surprised there was any, Erza got a strawberry cake, Gray had some red bean bread, and the Dragon Slayers were inhaling sandwich after sandwich.

I looked at Natsu and Sting in disgust as they chewed with their mouths open, but at least Rogue had the decency not to look like an animal.

I felt a burning gaze, as if someone were staring at me from behind. I whipped my head around and saw no one, but I did catch the black shine of sunglasses when what looked like to be a business man stepped around the corner. I shrugged it off and turned back to my ice cream, only to see that it was gone.

My eye twitched.

"Where," I paused. "Is my ice cream?"

Lucy froze; knowing what would happen if I didn't find out.

"Sting knocked it over when he was reaching for the chicken." Liz grinned.

"That was yours? Whoops." He gave me an apologetic shrug.

A _shrug._ He knocks my ice cream to the ground and all I get is a _shrug?!_ I deserve a freaking apology party! Well, maybe not a party, but another ice cream would be nice at least. I chuckled.

"What?" He asked.

"You're funny." I pointed at him.

I was amused at the fact that he had the guts to shrug at me when I had just lost the most precious thing in the world, next to nakama of course.

"Huh?" He put down his sandwich.

"The ice cream." I reminded him. "You think you could get away with it?"

"I uh, saw some tac tics on sale, I'm going to go check it out." A frightened Damon left the soon to be murder site.

"Yeah, I'm going to go with him." Liz followed.

"Someone has to explain what happened, so I guess I'll stay." Lucy sighed.

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Sting eyed us. "It was just an ice cream."

Just an ice cream? JUST AN ICE CREAM?!

"You just signed your death wish, it was nice knowing you." Lucy said farewell to Sting.

"Oh no." Natsu whispered. "I remember what happened last time I melted her ice cream."

"What? Did the girlie beat you up?" Sting snickered.

_Girlie?_ A vein popped.

Natsu stayed quiet.

"Holy shit," Sting grinned. "You got beat by a girl!"

"And is there a problem with the female being dominant?" Erza questioned.

"N-No!" Sting flinched. "Wait, so if you beat Natsu-san, then you must be really strong."

_'Not really.'_ I thought. It was only a burst of my 'hidden' magical power, at least that's what Silvia says. Maybe I'll get lucky again and suffocate the life out of him; I smirked and cracked my knuckles.

"I don't think you should fight him, Astrid." Rogue warned me.

"What," I scoffed. "You think I'm weak?"

"N-No! I n-never said that!" he defended himself.

I was only teasing, no need to get so worked up.

"Rest in peace, my beloved." I sadly glanced at the now melted puddle of ice cream.

"Any day now." Sting checked his imaginary watch.

I sent him a dark glare. Wind blew through my hair, causing it to fly all over the place.

"Air-" Air…air…damn, I forgot the name of the attack.

Why do I need to shout the name anyways? I'm only giving my opponent a heads up about what I'm about to hit them with, they might be able to block it. So I just did that floaty thingy that Silvia taught me.

"Eh?" Sting flailed his arms, he was in midair. "What is this?"

"AhHAHAHA!" I laughed. "Now spin!" I twirled my finger around and had the wind spin him around.

"You remind me of someone…" Lucy mumbleled. **(A/N Lamia Scale's master :3)**

"Enough, White Dragon's Roar!" He attacked.

But I had turned him the opposite direction, before he could get a chance to properly aim. Hehe, this is so easy.

"Now fly high! High up into the sky!" I shot a huge gust of wind upwards, carrying the dizzy Dragon Slayer into the clouds.

I grinned mischievously and teleported up. I landed gracefully onto a cloud and watch as Sting appeared, after he had gotten a few feet above the clouds he started to fall, but I held him up with the wind.

"Now," I smirked. "I may not be able to get rid of your oxygen supply."

Sting gulped.

"But I can fly you all the way," I pointed upwards. "up there until the atmosphere, pressure, and lack of oxygen is too much for you to handle, and eventually you go-"

"Okay, I get it!" Sting interrupted. "Just bring me back to the ground." He mumbled.

"What was that?" I grinned. "I couldn't hear you."

"Let me down." He said loudly.

"Can I get a please with that." I smirked.

"Let me down…_please_." He growled.

I cracked up, I had tears in my eyes now and was rolling on the ground, er, cloud.

"This is too funny!" I pounded my fist on the cloud.

"Shut up!" He growled.

"Hm, I'm getting a little hungry. I'll just leave you here while I-"

"No! Don't leave me here! I'll do anything!" Sting protested.

"_Anything?~"_ I grinned. "You have to…" I thought of something good. "Stay away from Lucy for the rest of the week!"

"What?!" His eyes bugged out. "Natsu-san will take her!"

"Don't talk about her like she's an object." I scoffed. "How _rude_."

I knelt down and stuck my head through the cloud.

"OI_, ROGUE_!" I shouted.

"ASTRID?" the speck far below replied.

"YOU'D CATCH ME IF I FELL RIGHT?" I asked.

"OF COURSE!"

I stood back up and chuckled softly.

"See ya." I waved at Sting.

"Wha- AH!" the wind underneath him disappeared.

"If Rogue says he'll catch me, then I'm sure he'll catch Sting too." I said to no one in particular.

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

Did Astrid just say that she was going to jump?

"Is she going to jump?" Gray asked wide eyed.

"I think so." Erza murmured.

"Aye!" Happy ayed.

"Oh look, there she is." Natsu squinted upward at the falling figure.

"Astrid!" Rogue ran over to catch her. "I'll catch y…..ou?"

It was _Sting_ of all people, not Astrid. Sting was pummeled into Rogue and they both fell back with an 'Oof!' I heard an evil chuckle.

"Now," Astrid huffed. "Where's that ice cream?"

* * *

**_~Somewhere~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"We've gathered new information, sir." A tall skinny woman in the goon outfit with mouse brown hair announced, her voice echoed throughout the room.

"Oh? And what may that be, Grace?" The same man at the desk raised a brow.

"Your niece has been spotted using air magic. Miss Moonlea has also kept Fairy Tail mages, Miss Heartfilia, and two unknown people as company." Grace informed the man.

"Go on." Mr. Moonlea took a sip of his coffee.

"Not only them, but the Sabers we work with are involved as well." Grace said in a monotone.

"Thank you, Grace." Mr. Moonlea set down his mug. "You may return to your place.

"Hai." The woman bowed.

"Marcel!" Mr. Moonlea boomed.

The same man from the previous day approached the desk.

"Fetch me a phone; I need to have a word with my dear friend Jiemma"

* * *

**Ha...Haha…MWAHAHAHAHAAA! How do you like my cliffhangers? *wiggles eyebrows***

**How about a review? Or two? Or ten?**

**Bye! ~**


	49. The Job

**Woot woot, chapter 60! Six. Zero. Don't forget to vote NaLu or Sticy in the poll! I don't know when I'll be closing it though. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"I. Am. So. Bored! Your friends are boring Lucy." Liz complained.

It was a few hours after Astrid's fight with Sting, who had failed miserably. He was now ten feet away from Lucy and wouldn't get any closer. Astrid had said that she told him not to go near Lucy since she let him down.

Natsu happily took advantage of the situation. He walked shoulder to shoulder next to the blonde, and occasionally slung his arm over her shoulders, which made her flush slightly. Sting sulked behind them and sent glares at Damon when he got bored. Astrid and Rogue were talking about battle strategies and whatnot, Erza had stopped by a bakery not too long ago, Happy was eating another fish, Gray was looking for his shirt, Liz was complaining, and Damon was popping tac tics in his mouth like it was popcorn.

"Oooh! An arcade! Lucy can we-" Liz's eyes brightened when she saw the flashing lights.

"No." Astrid denied.

"I wasn't asking you." Liz stuck her tongue out at the brunette.

"I don't feel like it." Astrid shrugged. "I'm a little low on my magical power; I can't believe I wasted it on this weakling." Astrid jutted her thumb towards the sulking Dragon Slayer.

"Hey! You cheated!" He growled.

"Mhmm, whatever helps you sleep at night." Astrid shrugged it off.

"I want to go to the arcade!" Liz pouted.

"I'm not going to waste jewels on pointless games!" Astrid threw her hands up in the air.

"But you guys are so boring!" Liz whined.

"Again with the whining." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"I want to eat something." Liz mumbled.

_'Sting? Rogue?'_ A voice echoed in the Twin Dragon Slayer's head.

_'…Liam?'_ Sting guessed.

Liam is a member of Sabertooth. Like Warren, he too has telepathic abilities. Not only that, but he can also use telekenisis. Without Liam's telekinetic power, Sabertooth's Master Jiemma would have declared him a weakling and would not allow him to join.

_'What do you want?'_ Sting mentally grumbled.

_'Master Jiemma wants to have a word with you. Something about a job worth a lot of jewels that only you guys can do.'_ Liam informed the two.

_'We're busy at the moment.'_ Rogue glanced at Astrid, who had started arguing with Liz once again.

_'Master says you'll get kicked out if you're not back in an hour.'_ Liam replied.

_'We'll be there.'_ Sting mentally growled.

And then the connection was cut off.

"Uhh, Luce?" Sting stopped walking. "Rogue and I have to go back to the guild for an errand."

"Really?" Lucy looked a bit sad, which annoyed Natsu a little. Okay, it annoyed him a lot.

"Yeah." Rogue grunted.

"And why didn't you mention this before?" Liz huffed. "Now Lucy and Astrid are going to be all depressed for the rest of the day."

"Really?" Sting's face brightened, Lucy cared for him that much?

"And when they get depressed, they don't feel like doing anything." Liz went on. "And when they don't feel like doing anything, I don't get to do anything, and when I don't get to do anything I get bored, and when I get bored it's really boring!" Liz complained.

"We wouldn't get depressed." Astrid scoffed.

"Y-Yeah, it's not like we'll never see you guys again." Lucy said.

"And I'll keep Luce company." Natsu grinned.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Me too." Damon spoke up.

Three Dragon Slayer heads turned towards poor Damon. If looks could kill, let's just say he'd be sent to hell, brought back, and have the process repeated.

"W-What did I d-do?" He quivered.

A low growl escaped from Natsu as he pulled a confused Lucy closer towards him and Rogue subtly stepped closer to Astrid's side.

"And if it's really boring, then I'll get really annoying, like right now." Liz kept chatting. "Then you'll have to suffer the wrath of an annoying Liz. We wouldn't want that now would we? Because sometimes, when I get annoyi-"

"OKAY!" Gray shouted; he had his shirt on, for once. "Here, have this ice cream. Just stop talking." He held out an ice figurine of an ice cream.

"Ice cream?" Astrid lunged for it before Liz got a hold. "This is a sad excuse for ice cream." She tossed it over her shoulder.

Liz caught it and examined the sculpture carefully.

"Cool!" She beamed. "It even has ice sprinkles!"

"You like it?!" Gray gawked.

"Yeah, I know, she's weird." Astrid snickered.

"I admire your work, but I am not weird!" Liz stomped her foot.

* * *

**_~Fairy Tail~_**

**_~Juvia's POV~_**

Juvia was just drinking some water flavored water at the bar while Mira talked about whether the story was going to be NaLu or Sticy.

"…we'll never know if the readers don't vote on the poll, right Juvia?" She concluded.

Juvia, however, wasn't paying attention. Juvia sensed an uncomfortable presence deep within Juvia's heart.

"Juvia senses a new love rival." Juvia hissed.

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

Sting and Rogue said their goodbyes and left half an hour ago. Liz's ice sculpture had melted long ago and she had demanded Gray to make another one every time the next one turned into a puddle of water.

"Lucy! There you are!" Erza appeared, with cake crumbs on her cheek.

"Erza!" Lucy hugged her. "Where have you been?"

"I had to attend to important business." Erza's authority took over. "Where did the Sabers go?"

"Oh they had to go do some stuff back at their guild." Damon ate a tac tic.

"As expected." Erza nodded.

"I'm hungry." Liz's stomach growled.

"It's only four, not even time for dinner get." Astrid estimated.

"I'm. _Hungry_." Liz repeated.

"Okay, sheesh Liz, we'll stop at an ice cream store on our way back to the hotel room." Astrid declared.

"I'm hungry." Liz said once more.

"I told you were going to go to an ice cre-"

"And I want to eat _real_ food." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Ice cream is real food!" Astrid gasped.

"No, it's not." Lucy took Liz's side.

"See?" Liz grinned widely. "Lucy agrees with me."

"A banana split has a banana, that's food. Some ice cream has a cherry on top, cherries are fruit. Frozen strawberry bits count too, and don't forget chocolate! When it's solid, it can be considered a food." Astrid pointed out.

"I want meat." Liz drooled at the word 'meat'.

"I love meat too!" Natsu grinned.

"I guess I'm in the mood for some steak." Lucy decided.

"Fried chicken for me." Gray said.

"Bacon." Erza nodded.

"Aye sir! I want some fish! Raw is best!" Happy flew around.

"Oh, so now _everyone's_ a carnivore!" Astrid threw her hand up in exasperation.

* * *

**_~Sabertooth~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The Twin Dragon Slayers walked into the Master's office. The chair faced the wall. After Sting had closed the door and it had clicked shut, the chair spun around slowly.

"I've been expecting you." Jiemma touched his fingertips together. **(A/N I've always wanted to do that XD)**

"What is this high paying job request you needed us for?" Sting leaned against the wall.

"I will be answering that question." A man walked into the room.

The man was tall and rather plump; he had short jet black hair with a silver streak in it, a black suit with a black tie, a monocle over his left eye, and a cold hard expression. He grinned evilly.

"And you are?" Rogue raised a brow.

"Jacob. Jacob Moonlea, but you can call me Jake." He grinned.

"So what is this job that you are so eager to give us _Mr. Moonlea_?" Rogue kept a straight face.

"It has come to my attention that you know my niece, she has been running for the past few years and I need her back. I have met an excellent man to marry her off to you see, my company will boom with success." Mr. Moonlea chuckled. "She may not be willing to go with go, but I'm sure you'll manage a way, and if not, take her by force."

"We do not know of any girl that goes by Moonlea sir." Rogue said.

"Oh," Mr. Moonlea smirked. "But you do."

"And who would that be?" Sting interrogated.

"My niece, Astrid. Astrid Moonlea."

Rogue, was obviously not prepared to hear these words. His face paled and he stumbled backwards. _'Astrid Moonlea…Astrid Moonlea…Astrid Moonlea…'_ the words echoed in the Shadow Dragon Slayer's mind.

"There is also a bonus of 1,000,000J that comes along with the job." Jiemma spoke up.

"And that is?" Sting crossed his arms, Rogue unable to talk.

"Lucy Heartfilia, I'm sure you know her." Jiemma boomed.

Stings eyes widened and his throat became dry. He nodded in response.

"I would like her as well. It's about time we've had a little family reunion." Mr. Moonlea snickered.

"If you fail this mission, bonus included, you will be stripped of your guild marks and go out same as Yukino did before you. Not only that, but you'll get a good beating from the guild before your humiliation occurs." Jiemma informed. "Understand?"

"H-Hai." The two boys croaked.

* * *

***flips hair dramatically* I know, all these cliffhangers…**

**Reviews are accepted! Please? I need something good to wake up too and something to brighten my mood when I come home from school, so why not review?**

**Bye! ~**


	50. They Return

**¡Hoy es viernes! (Today is Friday!) I take Spanish classes :3 No soy dueño de Fairy Tail. (I do not own Fairy Tail.)**

* * *

**_~Day 3~_**

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

The door to my room slammed open, causing me to wake up. Honestly, I was in the middle of this really good dream, this had better be good. I slowly uncovered my face from the comfy blanket and widened my eyes when I saw my least favorite, er, second least favorite? Or is it third, because there's Liz, Natsu, and my Uncle. Uncle is the worst; I'm not sure who's next. It was Natsu though.

Even though I saw him, he apparently didn't see me.

"Luce!" He blindly jumped towards my bead.

I flinched and tried to get away, but…but I was just so tired! As soon as he landed on the bed, he made a confused noise.

"You're not Luce." He blinked.

"No shit, Sherlock." I growled. "Now move!" I kicked him off the bed.

"Don't you Dragon Slayer noses sniff out who is who? Or are you just one messed up kid?" I yawned.

"No," He scoffed. "I woke up not too long ago, so my senses are all groggy." He rubbed his eyes.

"Nice story, NOW GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" I sent a gust of wind in his direction and he was pushed out.

"That's better." I mumbled and fell back asleep.

* * *

"Where's Astrid?" I heard Lucy ask.

"Ugh, what is it now." I sat up.

"You're still in bed?!" Her eyes widened.

"Well, yeah, that's what most people do on vacations. Sleep most of the day away." I shrugged.

"It's almost noon." Lucy huffed.

"Noon?!" My eyes bugged. "Why the hell did you wake me up so _early?!_"

I hid my head under a pillow. "I'm going back to sleep."

"No, you're not." I was hit with a wave of water.

"What was that for?!" I sprung out of the now soaked bed.

"Liz and Damon left a few hours ago. Liz said she didn't want to be around depressed people, or something like that." Lucy shrugged. "Then Team Natsu came not long after that, they're in the living room."

"Great." I grumbled. "Just what I needed."

"Aye!" Something squeaked from under the covers.

"What the-?" I peered. "Why was the cat in my bed?"

"I'm not a cat, I'm and Exceed." The cat said.

"Why was the cat in my bed?" I repeated.

"Lushee! Astrid's mean!" Happy whined.

"You're no better than Liz." I sweat dropped.

Deciding that it was about time I got up, I sauntered off into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. So I'm stuck with a stripper, a flying and talking cat, a pink haired idiot, and a strawberry cake addict along with Lucy for the rest of the day huh? At least I didn't have to add the brat and the tac tic addict to the list, that's a plus. I yawned again and walked into the small kitchen.

"Cereal…bacon…five star gourmet meal….ah, here we are." I picked out the ice cream container and plopped it on the counter.

"Luc- oh, it _you_." Natsu walked off disappointed.

Erza sat on the couch eating her cake and Gray was nowhere to be found. It was clear that Erza does not like to talk while eating her cake, and nor I with my ice cream. Seems like we have something in common.

After my healthy breakfast I slipped on the floor. I thought it was the floor, but it was a shirt. I picked it up, a vein popped.

"Gray." I growled.

"Oh, you found my shirt, thanks." Gray appeared.

He slowly walked away and I had to refrain myself from strangling him. I smelt something strange, walking closer to the source, I found myself standing in front of the pantry. I opened the door and a fish fell on my head, a rotten one to be exact.

"Happy." I hissed.

I entered my room where I had last seen the soon-to-be-dead cat, but all I saw was my bed on fire.

"NATSU!" I hollered.

This was the last straw.

"Luuucy! Sorry if I accidentally kill your friends!" I apologized in advance.

"What?!" She burst into my room.

"Do you see? Do you see what he did?!" I gestured towards my bed.

Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Exactly." I grunted.

* * *

**_~5 Minutes Later~_**

"I'm sorry! I thought I could dry the bed with my fire, and I kind of did too much…" Natsu faced Erza.

"A little?" Erza glanced at the scorched bed.

"Yeah, go Erza!" I pumped my fist in the air.

I caught the muffled sound of "Sting-kun! Sting-kun!" and I turned my head towards the door. As if on que, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it!" Lucy bounded over. "It's probably Lis and Damo- oh Sting! Rogue! Back already? I thought you had a job request to do." Lucy opened the door.

"Uh, yeah…its been postponed for tomorrow. We had nothing else to do so…" Sting looked around. "Can we come in?"

"Oh, yeah sure." Lucy stepped away to allow them in.

Great, more company. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having Rogue around, but Sting can be a nuisance.

"Hey Rogue." I waved when he walked past me.

But he just grunted in response, weird.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu growled.

"Why can't we, Natsu-san?" Sting sneered.

"*Ahem*" Erza cleared her throat. "No fighting. Natsu, we should be getting back to Fairy Tail and pick up another job since our last one failed, we've spent too much time in Suza."

"But I can't just leave her here with _them._" Natsu spat out the last word and looked at Sting and Rogue.

"Then Astrid will beat them up." Gray pulled on his shirt.

"Yeah, I'll beat them up if the situation calls for it." I nodded.

Why was Sting and Rogue so quiet? If anything, they looked a little strained, did something happen?

"But I don't want to leave you Luce!" Natsu clung to her leg like a child.

"Seriously Natsu? Let go." Lucy tried to shake him off.

"Let go, of the leg." I whipped out a translucent dagger Silvia had given me for my birthday once.

It was made of compressed air, the air blade had enough pressure to cut you even if you lightly tapped it, I had to keep it in a special sheath thingy made for this type of dagger.

"And if I don't?" Natsu snorted.

"I'll cut you." I stated simply.

"But you're not holding anything." He pointed out.

"Oh really? I smirked and brought the blade closer.

"Astrid, don't." Lucy said.

"But-" I was about to explain a perfectly good reason why I should.

"I've got a better idea." She smirked. "Erz-"

"OKAY!" Natsu let go of her leg. "No need to do anything rash."

"Let's go, Flamebrain. We'll see you again, right Lucy? You're not going off the radar for another few years again?" Gray asked.

"Nope." Lucy grinned.

We both knew it was a lie, who knows when we'll get to be around civilization like this again. Then they hugged, for forever. Me, Sting, and Rogue leaned against the same wall watching the never ending embrace.

My stomach grumbled.

"Oh, would you look at the time, lunchtime. See ya guys later but I've got to eat." I pulled Lucy away from the four.

But Natsu was holding onto her other hand and pulled her back. Oh? I tugged her towards me, but then he pulled her back to him. And so it began.

"Give." I yanked her back.

"Her." Natsu held his ground.

"To." I almost slipped.

"_Me._" Natsu used all his strength and ended up yanking me along with Lucy.

But Rogue caught my other hand before I went tumbling to the floor.

"Thanks." I let go and cracked both knuckles. "Now if you'll excuse me," I walked over to Natsu. "I have no choice but to commit murder."

"Were leaving!" Natsu quickly let go of Lucy and ran out the door, not before giving her another hug of course.

* * *

"I thought they'd never leave" I groaned and slouched on a couch once they had all left.

I had made Happy take out all that rotten fish and Gray pick up and put on any articles of clothing just lying around.

"You hungry?" Rogue asked.

"YES." I stood and marched over to the ice cream store.

"So…" Lucy licked her lime ice cream cone. "What was the job you guys were supposed to do."

"An escort." Sting said suspiciously fast.

"Really? I would think you guys got harder requests than escorts." I examined the two, obviously nervous Dragon Slayers.

"This one was high paying." Rogue shrugged.

"How much?" Lucy wondered.

"Five million jewels." Rogue said in a monotone.

"Not including the million jewel bonus." Sting choked out.

"You guys are acting weird." Lucy eyes them.

"Boys," I scoffed. "They're all weird." **(A/N No offense to all you guys out there)**

"I know that, but they're acting weirder than normal guys do." Lucy continued to eat her ice cream.

"Stop talking about us like we're not here!" Sting complained.

"Ok then, so where are we going?" Lucy asked another question.

"The train station." Rogue replied.

"Oh?" I raised a brow. "And why is that?"

"We want to show you a new ice cream shop back in Clementine." Rogue chuckled.

My jaw dropped, suspicions forgotten. "Well then why didn't you say so?!"

* * *

**_~Normal POV~_**

They reached the train station soon after the little conversation. Rogue's chest was tight with guilt when he saw how Astrid beamed win joy when he mentioned the fake ice cream store.

A small part of sting died when he and Rogue talked about the 'escort' and how Astrid and Lucy just shrugged it off, not knowing it was about them.

"So what's this ice cream place called?" Astrid asked.

"Vikki's Finest." Sting came up with a random name.

"Isn't that the name of a dress boutique?" Lucy murmured.

"Same company, different merchandise." Sting quickly covered up his mistake.

"Ne, Astrid?" Lucy slowed down.

"Yeah?" Astrid cocked her head.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Lucy stopped walking altogether.

Sting and Rogue stared at her in confusion.

"You mean my uncles goons over there?" Astrid glared at the two men in suits from across the street, not exactly blending in.

"Exactly." Lucy nodded.

* * *

**I think my house is haunted, no, I'm ****_positive_**** my house is haunted. Or I'm haunted, either way works.**

**Review! I left this cliffhanger to be mean again! Oh! And don't forget to vote~ NaLu is winning but Sticy is catching up!**

**Bye! ~**


	51. Goons

**Am I the only one who likes the word 'goon'? Hehe, goon…I do not own Fairy Tail**

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

These goons, they've been following us for quite a while. But why? Was it because they knew we were powerful mages? But the goons my uncle hires are smart, they would have found a way to separate us. Unless they already have…

"I've got a plan." I concluded. "Lucy and I will just teleport back to the hotel while you guys can do whatever."

"Right, they can't follow us if we vanish." Lucy nodded in agreement. "And I'm sure they're not after you guys."

"I was careless." I growled. "Even if it was only for a few days, he still found me."

"Who is 'he'?" Sting asked innocently.

"My _uncle_." I hissed. "Long story. Let's go Luce."

"Bye!" Lucy waved and we both left.

Only to be found circled by at least a dozen more goons.

"Well this is just _perfect_." Lucy huffed.

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes.

We were in the living room, goons scattered about, and I even heard shuffling noises in my room. They were both men and woman, each holding a joystick with a red button.

"What," I looked around. "Were we interrupting some kind of game?"

"The boss ordered us to take care of you in case the Sabers failed." One of the goon women said.

"We don't need babysitters." I scoffed. "Wait, what about Sting and Rogue?"

"That information is classified." One of the men stepped up.

"That information is classified." Lucy mimicked in a ridiculous tone, I laughed. "Well, it has to do with us so I think I have the right to know."

"Don't bother trying to communicate with them," I sighed. "Goons are like robots, they have no feelings."

Silence.

"See? A normal human would have defended themselves, or beat me up." I grinned.

"That's what you would do Ash." Lucy sweat dropped.

"Tch, whatever. Let's just beat them up and- huh?" Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, concerned.

"I can't do the wind thingy." I frowned.

"What wind thingy? We're not even outside." Lucy looked around.

"No, the magic wind thingy when I can blow the wind around." I explained.

"Ooh, _that_ wind thingy," Lucy nodded. "You should really come up with a name for that."

"How about 'Wind'?" I suggested. "Nah, that's too bland."

"Gust?" Lucy asked.

"That sounds too weird." I shook my head.

"Breeze." Lucy snapped her fingers.

"Sometimes it's stronger than a breeze though." I pointed out.

"Ok then, hurricane!" Lucy beamed.

"That's a tropical storm that includes rain and flying objects as well, not just wind." I sighed.

"How about 'tornado'? That has nothing to do with rain, although I could make some." Lucy gasped. "You and me could do a union rain thing and make a hurricane!"

"That would take a lot of magical power…" I murmured. "But I suppose we could."

"What about my tornado idea?" Lucy sat on a nearby sofa.

"Well, I'd have to combine a bunch of winds together, and make it spin around. That too would take up a lot of magical power." I sat on the same couch, goons forgotten.

"But what if I tried making a whirlpool, I've never thought of that before." Lucy mentioned.

"It can't be that hard," I shrugged. "All you have to do is concentrate you magic into spinning around in circles."

"I guess so." Lucy thought it over. "Wouldn't it be cool if Liz could not only grow plants, but pizza too?"

"Or ice cream?" I grinned.

"In a cold climate probably." Lucy's stomach growled. "The only thing I've eaten today was that lime ice cream."

"I guess I could use some pie," I decided. "Ice cream goes good with pie."

We stood up and walked towards the exit so we could get something to eat, but then the goons stepped in front of us.

"Oh yeah," I sighed. "I forgot about you guys."

I tried doing that wind thingy.

"I can't use my magic." I frowned.

"Neither can I!" Lucy gasped.

"When you had first appeared, we 'goons' as you put it, circled you and pressed these buttons," The goon woman pointed to a joystick on the counter. "They have stripped your magical power for the next twenty four hours."

"Just because we don't have magic," I took out a dagger and Lucy unfurled her whip. "Doesn't mean we can't fight back."

**_~Later~_**

I dusted off my hands, defeated goons behind me. Turns out, they bleed like humans, so there's a good chance that they're human.

"So, we're getting pie right?" I asked Lucy.

"That's the plan." She rolled up her whip.

We left the much damaged hotel room and hopped downed the steps of the hotel itself. We walked down the busy streets of Suza and eventually ran into Rogue and Sting.

"That god you're safe." Sting hugged Lucy and Rogue did the same to me.

"What," I scoffed. "You think a bunch of emotionless goons are going to stop me from getting my pie?"

"_Pie_?" Sting slowed. "What happened to your ice cream obsession?"

"It's still there, but I figured pie would be a nice change. Plus, pie tastes great with ice cream. Except when the ice cream makes the pie crust all soggy, I hate that."

"What's that?" Rogue frowned and pointed to my leather jacket's sleeve.

It was ripped and underneath that, I had a cut. The sleeved of my jacket were stained with droplets of blood, although it was hard to see.

"Oh, would you look at that." I laughed. "I didn't even feel a thing."

"I'll kill him." I heard Rogue mutter.

"Kill who?" I raised a brow.

"Yeah, the lady goon said something about the Sabers being involved." Lucy said caustiosly.

"Now that you mentioned it," I stepped away from Rogue. "She did. So Rogue, mind telling us what exactly is going on?"

"Astrid I-"

"_After _we get the pie first of course." I walked down the street. "You'll be lucky if you live to see the sunrise."

I heard Lucy chuckle and move away from Sting; I felt the nervous tension between the two Dragon Slayers and decided that whatever they were going to tell us wouldn't be goo-

"Oh look!" I walked over to a pastry restaurant. "They have pie."

I was about to enter the shop, but then I got a good look at the menu through the glass doors. I quickly stopped, causing Lucy to walk into me and Sting to walk into her and Rogue to walk into him.

"Nevermind," I scoffed. "They have no ice cream."

The three of the groaned as I insisted on moving onto a different store and after five minutes of searching, I found a place called '_Home Of All Desserts_', I liked that name.

"And we have arrived in heaven." I sniffed the beautiful aroma of pastries the moment I stepped in. "What kind of pie do you guys have?" I asked the man at the counter.

"Key lime, chocolate, meringue, French silk, strawberry cream, cherry, apple, peach, apricot, pumpkin, sweet potato, granola, peanut butter, chocolate mint, apple cinnamon, caramel, raspberry, blueberry, rhu-berry, ice cream, maple walnut, pineapp-"

"Did you just say ice cream? As in an ice cream pie?" I stopped the never ending list.

"I believe so." The man answered.

"Then that's what I'll get!" I grinned.

"I'll have a strawberry cream pie." Lucy spoke up.

"Lemon meringue." Sting ordered.

"I'll just share with Astrid." Rogue grunted.

"No way on Earthland am I sharing with anybody." I chuckled.

"Fine, I'm not ordering anything." Rogue rolled his eyes.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"You're just seeing things." He denied.

"Sure." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Sure I was."

"Have a seat at any table; your food will be ready momentarily." The man gestured to the table scattered room.

I plopped down at one of the tables in the back of the room so our conversation would be more private. Luce and I sat opposite from Sting and Rogue.

"So," Lucy broke the silence. "What do you guys have to do with the goons?"

"Well, when we-"

"I see our food!" I interrupted Sting when I saw a waitress holding a large silver platter coming our way.

"Here you go." She set down the platter.

It was weird because her uniform was mostly black and the store's décor was mainly a bright sunny yellow and a deep aquatic blue, black just doesn't fit in. Eh, maybe they have bad taste in fashion. I immediately grabbed the spoon wrapped in a napkin beside me and took a scoop of the multi colored ice cream pie. Lucy enjoyed her strawberry cream pie and ate all the whipped cream first. Sting caustiosly scooped a piece of his lemon meringue; he ended up finishing half of it before he was full.

"Who wants the rest?" He asked to no one in particular.

Lucy and I still hadn't finished, so we completely ignored him.

"I'm not hun-" Rogue's stomach growled. "Fine." He took the half-eaten pie and finished the rest.

I took another scoop of the pie, but I missed.

"What the-?" I blinked.

I looked around, which was hard to do since everything was spinning, and say that Sting, Rogue, and Lucy had the same expressions.

"I think there's something wrong with the pie." Sting mumbled.

My head began to feel heavy and my eyelids started to droop. I heard the click of heels walking toward us, then a beep.

"Boss? This is Grace speaking," It was the same voice of the waitress. "Yes, it was a success."

_Crap_.

* * *

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

"I'm so tired Lizzy." Damon complained as I pulled him into the arcade.

"But all we've done was gone to the amusement park!" I scoffed.

"Yeah, went on over twenty rides, played all the games, and got lost in the haunted house." He pointed out.

"Isn't it nice?" I grinned. "We've been cooped up in that stupid orphanage for almost our whole lives and ever since Lucy came along we've been able to do so much!"

"Too much." Damon sighed as I held out my hand for money.

"I want to play laser tag!" I pulled my brother into the dark room.

* * *

**I never planned on writing about pie, it just…****_happened_**

**NaLu is still winning, but now Sticy is even closer to catching up, just a heads up**

**Review! I would appreciate it, hmm, the best/ funniest reviewer gets a sneak peak to the next chapter, and it has to be about the story. And it doesn't have to be positive either, just a true, from the bottom of your heart review.**

**Bye! ~**


	52. Moonlea Mansion

**NaLu…Sticy…NaLu…Sticy…NaaaLuuu…Stiiiiccyyy *echoes* NaLu Sticy NaLu Sticy *gets faster* NaLuSticyNaLuSticuNaLuSticy *wakes up* *breaths heavily* seriously you guys, these requests are starting to haunt my dreams. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

I just had the weirdest dream. I was in Suza with Lucy and the others, but then a whole bunch of my uncle's goons came along and tried to kidnap us, they even had the nerve to poison our food. But it was all just a dream because I wo- wait, where am I?

My eyes snapped open and I shot out of the bed I had been sleeping in. This room, it seems familiar. That's right! When I was little and my parents were away on a business trip, I would stay over at my uncle's house, er, mansion, as much as I hated it.

Maybe it wasn't all just a dream.

This was the same room that I'd stay in, Lavender walls, periwinkle bed, wide arched windows, a regal vanity, plush carpets, mahogany dresser, and the large ivory bookshelf filled with my favorites, everything was all dusty though.

I jumped off the bed and walked towards the door, it was locked of course.

"Tch." I reached for my dagger so I could pick the lock.

But my weapons were gone too, even the one I hid in my shoe. Ha, I walked over to the regal vanity and opened the box that sat on top. It was filled with the jewelry that I had worn as a child. I chose the sharpest earring I could find and managed to pick the lock.

I sighed, now where's Lucy?

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I began to pace around the room in circles.

I had woken up no more than fifteen minutes ago, I had no idea where I was, and I didn't know where the others were. My whip and keys were gone as well, oh god, Aquarius…

The room I was in was small; it looked like a guest room. The walls were crème and the carpet was beige. There wasn't much furniture, just a bed, lamp, dresser, and desk. An idea popped into my mind and I stopped pacing. I backed away from the door and then ran.

"LUCY KICK!" I kicked it down.

After all the dust had cleared, I stepped over the broken pike of wood and walked down the narrow hallway, now to look for Astrid.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Even though it has been over a decade since I had last roamed these halls, I still remembered where almost everything was. If I made a left down the hall I would reach the kitchen, If I went up a few flight of stairs I'd make it to the spa, I don't even know why uncle needed one.

I heard someone shout "LUCY KICK!" followed by a loud crashing noise.

"Geez Luce," I sweat dropped. "Try not to be so obvious next time."

I walked down the narrow and cold hallway toward the source of the sound.

"Ow!" Lucy yelped.

I turned a corner and she came into view.

"What?" I looked around.

"I got a splinter." She pouted.

"The horror." I gasped and then rolled my eyes.

"It hurts you know! Where are we anyways?" Lucy examined her finger.

"My uncle's mansion." I sighed.

"Oh goody." She sarcastically said.

"Over there!" A voice boomed.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls, a group of security guards came running our way.

"Damnit Lucy! Couldn't you have been quitter?!" I hissed and fled the scene.

"I had to get out somehow!" She followed.

"Do you have your whip?" I made a right.

"Nope, they took that. My keys too." Lucy shivered at the word 'keys, why? I don't know.

"My weapons are gone too." I growled. "Even my air dagger."

"Let's hide in here!" Lucy opened a random door. "This feels like déjà vu somehow…"

The large double doors shut behind us as we ventured off into the dark room. Evil laughter boomed from the back of the large space. I squinted and was able to make out the shape of my-

"Uncle." I hissed.

"What a pleasant surprise." He grinned.

"Where are my keys?!" Lucy asked.

"Oh?" He turned his head towards the blonde. "No need to worry, they're in a safe place."

"My weapons?" I narrowed my eyes and stepped closer.

"They have been disposed of." He smirked. "After all, you won't need them once you've been married off."

"I'm not marrying anybody." I remained expressionless.

"Oh really? Has your heart been captured my someone else?" He chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, that is exactly what is going on." I smirked.

"What?" Lucy gasped. "Astrid you never told me! Who is it? WHO?!" She jumped up and down excitedly.

I took a deep breath. "I guess it's about time I've told you…"

"…well his name is Edy." I finished.

"Eh? Who's Edy?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Wait a minute…isn't that a brand of ice cr-OW!"

I pinched her.

"Edy? Well I guess I'll just have to eliminate him." Uncle grinned.

"But then you'll have to go through Ben & Jerry first." I smirked.

"Ben & Jerry?" Lucy whispered. "That's another ice crea- OW!"

I kicked her in the shin this time. (A/N To those of you who don't know, Edy's and Ben & Jerry's are both brands of ice cream.)

"No matter how many people you will try to stop me with, I will always find a way and get you." Uncle chuckled.

"Oh yeah? You and what army?" I crossed my arms.

"I don't need and army." He grinned. "I'm pretty sure you and Miss Heartfilia are familiar with the Sabers."

My ears perked up.

"Your point is…?" Lucy was just as anxious as I was.

"The Twin Dragons I believe they were called." Uncle looked up in though.

"Sabertooth doesn't have dragons." I frowned.

"No…they wouldn't!" Lucy gasped.

"Yeah, they would never- who are we talking about again?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Sting and Rogue." She murmured.

"Yeah…what about them?" I raised a brow.

"My god Ash, you're so slow." Lucy sweat dropped.

"Am not!" I gasped. "I can move faster than you!"

"Not physically." She sighed. "Mentally, like Natsu."

"Did you just compare me to that flame headed idiot?!" I raged.

"N-No, well yeah, but…" Lucy stuttered.

"But nothing!" I objected. "You will pay." I cracked my knuckles.

"I believe we were in the middle of something here." Uncle interrupted.

"Yeah, I was living a nice life until you came along." I scoffed.

"We need to discuss your future plans." Uncle had the nerve to ignore me. "The Duke of Bosco is willing to be wed to my beloved niece."

"Beloved, yeah right." I snickered, only Lucy heard.

"The wedding will be held in February, so you have months of preparations." He went on. "I can assure you that you will be in the best care…"

"Does he normally talk this much?" Lucy stared.

"Pretty much." I sighed. "So what do you want to do after this?"

"Well, we have to go find Sting and Rogue, then get with Damon and Liz." Lucy planned out.

"I don't want to see Liz." I growled.

"Not my pro-"

"HAVE YOU LADIES HEARD A WORD I'VE SAID?!" My now pissed off uncle boomed.

"…yes?" Lucy smiled nervously.

"Ok then, the total cost of it all will be…" He believed her.

"Hm, I know a way to get out of here. There are probably guards all over the place but there are also secret passageways." I whispered.

"No way! My mansion never had passageways." Lucy pouted.

"Ha! Sucks for you!" I teased.

"…and that will conclude in the death of the Bosco heirs…"He shuffled some papers.

"What did he say?!" I gawked at the evil man.

"I don't know, but I think I know where you got your murderous intentions from." Lucy nodded.

"I have no murderous intentions!" I defended myself. "Well, there's Liz, Natsu, and my uncle. Maybe Damon sometimes, Silvia can get pretty annoying too but-"

"Aha! See? Murderous." Lucy grinned.

"Oh shut it you!" I swatted her away.

"Now I need you to read through the terms and conditions and sign both your names here." He held out a sheet of papers.

We approached the desk and peered at the note, the note with an unlimited supply of words.

"No way in hell am I reading all of that." I walked away.

"And where do you think you're going?" I heard the chair bump against the velvet carpet as he stood.

"I have to use the bathroom." I lied.

"There is a separate bathroom to your left." He gestured to a door in the right corner.

"Nevermind." I growled.

As I thought of a plan B to get out of this hellhole, an alarm went off. My uncle flinched and his expression narrowed.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He boomed.

Two security guard burst through the locked doors and ran up to the desk. Lucy and I took this chance to make out escape.

"There have been intruders, sir." I heard one of them ask.

"What? Where?" He growled.

"The South Wing, sir." The female informed.

"I wa- HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!" He had just noticed our departure.

"SEE YA!" I hollered as we fled the room.

The alarms were blaring full volume and I could feel the vibrations tremor through the ground, geez no need to make a big deal out of everything. I lead us through the halls, a left here, and a right there. We heard the shouts of the guards and goons as they tried to look for both escapees and intruders. Lucy had skidded to a halt and I glanced her way in confusion.

"What is it?" I waked over.

She pointed to a small red dot that stood out on the elegant flooring.

"Is that a…" She stepped closer. "Is that a tac tic?"

"Oh god, this just got complicated." I sighed.

"Lizzy over here!" A voice echoed down the hall.

"EIZABEEETH!" I called in an evil sing song voice.

"I think she's over here!" Someone squeaked.

"Halt!" A series of voices shouted.

I exchanged looks with Lucy and we both nodded, running down to where the voices were heard, two figures came into view with a crowd of others behind them.

"Luuucy!" The girl with violet hair came rushing over. "And Astrid…" She made a disgusted face.

"Well hello to you too." I said in an offended tone.

"Hey Ash, we came to rescue you guys." Damon caught up.

"Yeah I kind of figured that out on my own, you dropped a tac tic on the floor by the way." I mentioned.

"Halt!" The guards chased us.

"Couldn't you have been a bit sneakier? Left!" We sprinted off.

"Well it's not like we've ever been in a mansion before." Damon said in awe. "This place is huge!" His voice echoed.

"Don't get used to it." I rolled my eyes. "Down those stairs!"

"You're a spoiled rich kid." Liz snickered.

"Am not!" I argued. "And how did you even find us here anyways?"

"Well after we came back from the arcade, we saw that the hotel room had passed out goon people everywhere." Lis recalled. "Then you guys never showed up for two days by the way.

"Two?!" Lucy's eyes bugged.

"Two days of my vacation time!" I wailed. "Make a right!"

"So then when one of the goon people woke up we interrogated them on your absence." Liz grinned. "We played good cop bad cop, I was the bad cop."

"Oh, I can imagine how horrible that must have been for the poor goons." I rolled my eyes.

"Then they told us you were in a mansion," Liz ignored me. "At first I didn't believe it, so I contacted Team Natsu."

"You what?!" Lucy faltered.

"All I had to do was shout 'fish' a whole bunch of times and then Happy came flying, turns out, the train had broken down and needed repairs. Team Natsu never really did leave Suza."

"The scary lady with red hair that looked like this," Liz morphed into Erza. "Did some research and found out that you were this girl named Astrid Moonlea and you were really rich, but your parents died and your only relative is a really rich Jacob Moonlea dude."

"Go on." We ran down another flight of stairs.

"So we made a plan to rescue you, Team Natsu is outside right now, I had to insist that they stay out there and let me do the saving because Natsu was getting all weird and talking about Lucy and being worried. Then he started to catch on fire since Stingy Bee-"

"Sting." Lucy reminded.

"Whatever, since he wasn't able to protect you. And here we are." Liz finished.

"Wow, nice story. Now let's deal with these guards and get out of here." I scanned the area.

They had blocked us on both sides of the corridor and were standing shoulder to shoulder wearing expressionless faces.

"Liz, Luce and I don't have any magic or weapons at the moment. Oh yeah that reminds me, we have to find Lucy's keys and my daggers. So we need you to fight." I grunted.

"Are you asking me for help?" Liz smirked.

"Liz, now is not the time for that." I huffed.

"Fine." She growled. "Iron First of the Elemental Dragon!"

* * *

**Hehe…so you see, I was procrastinating all day and I decided to write the chapter last minute. But you see, it's almost midnight, and I didn't want to ruin my newly renewed streak, so I'll just post this short chapter because it's all I've gotten done so far.**

**Whoa there, Sticy has made a big jump and is now in the lead, chances of NaLu not looking to good…**

**Review! Same rules apply as the last chapter; best/funniest review gets a sneak peak! To all the guests reviewing, I'm _DYING_ to reply, but I can't unless you make an account…**

**Bye! ~**


	53. Failed

**Hm, bored and nothing to do. I should be getting to sleep soon *gasps* I FORGOT ABOUT THE CHAPTER! I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"_Iron Fist of the Elemental Dragon_!" Liz attacked. "Eh? Why didn't it work?"

"Cancellation magic." A man approached us.

"Who are you?" Damon asked.

"I'm sure you have heard of me. Jacob Moonlea." He grinned.

"You're that really rich dude!" Liz gasped.

"Yes, I am." He chuckled. "And you are?"

"Crystal." Liz lied. "I'm from Suza."

"And I'm Jake, from State Farm." Damon waved.

"Seems like we share the same name, Jake." Mr. Moonlea. "Now explain why you intruders are here in the first place."

"Um, I heard there was an auction." Damon made up an excuse.

"We do not hold auctions in my mansion that takes place at the Moonlea Auction House over in Cremer." Mr. Moonlea's eyes narrowed. "And why did you not choose to enter through the front doors like any other person?"

"I thought those were the front doors." Liz said blankly.

"No dear, that was a window." He became suspicious.

"Oh," Damon shifted. "But it was a really big window, it looked like a door."

"A door that had no knob? It is now shattered into bits. You will have to pay the expenses." Mr. Moonlea grunted.

"But you're rich! You can pay for it yourself!" Liz argued.

"Then there are the fines to pay for trespassing on private property." He listed another reason.

"It's not trespassing when you're trying to rescue someone." Liz pouted.

"What was that?" He raised a brow.

"I _said_," Liz huffed. "That it's not trespassing when you need to use the bathroom."

"In that case you can use the one to the right." He gestured to the door beside us.

_'What the? This place has bathrooms everywhere.'_ Astrid thought.

"Thanks." Liz slammed the door behind her.

"So…" Damon trailed off.

"Guard, escort these three to the holding cell. The intruder needs to be properly punished for his crimes and these ladies need to learn how to show respect for those in a higher position." Mr. Moonlea ordered.

"I don't think so." Damon grinned.

He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a jumbo pack of tac tics.

"Da- I mean Jake, now is not the time for tac tics." Lucy sweat dropped.

He just smirked in response and emptied the containers contents onto the ground. With no explanation needed, the three of them took off down the hall. The guards and goons would trip and slip over the tac tics if they tried to proceed.

"What about Liz?" Lucy asked, worried.

"Don't worry; she'll come up with something." Damon ate a tac tic.

"That was a smart move back there." Astrid said.

Lucy's jaw dropped.

"D-Did you just compliment me?!" Damon gawked.

"Don't get used to it." Astrid growled. "The front entrance should be ov- kya!"

The floor underneath them had opened up, revealing a dark space. The tree of them landed with a thud.

"Ow!" Lucy groaned. "I think…I think my shoulder got dislocated."

"Again?!" Astrid exclaimed. "You get that shoulder dislocated all the time now."

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore!" Lucy smiled proudly.

"Uh huh, good for you. Now how do we get out of here?" Damon walked around.

If it weren't for the light from above it would have been pitch black. It was too high to jump up and there seemed to be four stone walls surrounding them.

"Is it me," Astrid yawned. "Or is everyone else getting sleepy?"

"I think it might," Lucy yawned as well. "Have to do with that purple mist seeping down from above."

"Mmm tac tics…" Damon had already fallen asleep.

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

"OPEN UP!" The guards banged on the door again.

I was starting to panic, I had been in here for over five minutes and I was pretty Damon and the others had already made their escape. Now I was pacing around the small, but luxurious…no surprise there, space.

"I told you I'm not done yet!" I repeated for the seventeenth time, yes I was keeping track.

"You have one more minute before we bust the door down!" A goon shouted.

"PERVERTS!" I hissed.

C'mon…c'mon…I looked for a way out. I stopped mid-step and looked up, not for inspiration, but at the vent. The vent I was big enough to fit into. I grinned and stepped up on the sink's counter, using the small Swiss army knife I had gotten as a Christmas present from Astrid, yeah I know, I was pretty surprised she gave me a present too it even had purple rhinestones on it, I popped off the latch.

"OI! WHATS GOING ON IN THERE?!" A voice boomed when the metal cover came clattering to the floor.

I ignored them and hoisted myself inside, surprisingly it wasn't cramped. There was a bright light down the tunnel and I made it my goal to make it there. After a few minutes, I heard the noise of someone bursting into a room, most likely the bathroom, and explode with anger. I giggled to myself and it echoed, I could also smell the temptation aromas from the kitchen. No Liz, focus.

I had finally reached the source of the light and could feel the soft breeze from outside, or it could have been the fan next to me. I turned around and kicked the cover off.

"OW! What the- GRAY!" I heard a pissed off voice and then a punch.

"What was that for you flamebrain?!" A deep voice exclaimed. "Ice make lance!"

"WHO JUST DESTROYED MY CAKE?!"

Oh, so they were over here. I slid out of the vent, turns out, I was higher than I thought.

"KYA!~" I was free falling until something caught me.

"Liz!" I craned my neck enough to see the angelic wings.

"Happy!" I grinned.

"Liz?" Natsu gawked. "What are you doing all the way up there? Weren't you supposed to be saving Luce?!"

"Well, there's a little problem…" I laughed nervously.

**_~Normal POV~_**

Team Natsu, along with Elizabeth had snuck through the previously broken window and were silently moving through the halls.

"We must be quiet, like a ninja. Nin nin!" Natsu whispered.

"Nin nin!" Happy posed.

"Nin nin!" Liz did the same.

"Nin ni- what the hell is 'nin nin'?!" Gray stopped himself.

"Shh!" the three 'ninjas' shushed him.

"I can smell Luce over here!" Natsu crept along a wall. "It seems like she's underground somewhere."

"What? Is she's in the underworld?!" Happy gasped in horror.

"But that means she's dead! NOOOO!" Liz wailed in a whisper.

"She's not dead, I can assure you that." Natsu sniffed some more. "She's only a few feet below."

"Like six feet?!" Liz was hyperventilating. "That's how deep they bury people!"

"No, I can smell Astrid and Derek-"

"Damon." Liz glared.

"Whatever, I smell Astrid and Dean with her and I'm pretty sure they're all alive." Natsu finished.

"Where?" Liz looked around.

After a few moments of concentration, Natsu's eyes widened and he dropped to the ground.

"They're right below us! Luce is right below us!" He banged on the floor. "LUCE! Luce can you hear me?!"

"WHO THE HELL WOKE ME UP?!" An enraged voice boomed from below, shaking the floor.

"Lucy?! Is that you?!" Natsu got excited.

"I don't think that's Lushee." Happy sweat dropped.

"I WANT AN ANSWER! YOU BASTARD WAS IT YOU?!" There was a muffled yelp.

"Ahh! What the heck?!" It was Damon.

"Huh? What year is it?" Said a groggy voice.

"LUSHEE!" Happy cheered.

"Eh? Lushee?" Astrid stopped screaming. "WAS IT YOU?!"

"Eek! Show mercy!" Lucy squeaked.

"Luce!" Natsu found a crack in the flooring and tried to pull it up; it only budged about five centimeters.

"I see light!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It burns my eyes!" Astrid hissed and crawled back into a corner

"Guys! I need some help here!" Natsu grimaced and he tried to lift the floor up.

"Aye sir!" Happy flew to the crack.

"I shall use my sword as a lever." Erza requipped a sword.

"And what do you think you're doing?" The evil uncle walked down the hall.

Natsu growled and slowly lowered the flooring and Erza put her sword away.

"Hey where'd the light go?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry Luce; I'll get back to you after I defeat this guy." Natsu glared at said man.

"Oh? How will you defeat me without any mag-"

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu threw a blazing punch.

"Wha…?" What Mr. Moonlea's last word before he was hit in the face.

Natsu smirked, "You're not even a mage?"

"H-How is that possible?! The cancellation magic should hav-" Mr. Moonlea sputtered.

"You mean this?!" Gray tossed a lacrima ball onto the ground and then shattered it with his ice make magic.

"B-But…" Mr. Moonlea's eyes widened.

"You can keep Astrid, but Luce is mine." Natsu stepped closer.

Natsu waited, he waited for the insulting comment from the girl below. He waited, but it didn't come.

"Uh…Astrid?" Gray knocked on the floor.

Still nothing.

"Oi, who's Astrid?" Astrid questioned.

"Astrid." Erza said. "You are Astrid."

"Who me?!" Lucy asked.

"Luce? Are you okay?" Natsu became worried.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Astrid replied. "And you are?"

"Not you." Natsu scowled.

"But I thought I was Luce!" Astrid huffed.

"Who am I?" Damon joined the confusion.

"Damon!" Liz tried to speak with him.

"…Lizzy?" He paused. "Lizzy is that you?"

"Luce don't worry! We're going to get you out of there!" Natsu began to open the trap door again.

It took a while, but all three mages were able to make it out of the dark room.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Astrid fell to the floor laughing. "This dude has pink hair!"

"Eh? Oh you're right!" Lucy grinned and stifled a giggle.

"Oi Luce! That's not funny! It's salmon!" Natsu protested.

"Oh, so I am Luce." Lucy nodded.

"And I'm…Astrid?" Astrid confirmed.

"Damon!" Liz lunged and hugged her brother.

"Lizzy! What happened?" Damon looked around. "And why are we in a castle?"

"Don't you remember? We were rescuing Lucy and Astrid for the evil uncle!" Liz reminded him.

"Lucy? This Lucy?" Damon pointed to the blonde.

"Yeah, what happened to you guys?" Gray frowned.

"Memory Erase." Mr. Moonlea stood. "These three have been affected by the memory erase poison, they have no memory of their past, in other words,amnesia."

* * *

**Well there was some NaLu, but there should be more next chapter. I had lots of homework to do so that's why it was so short.**

**Review!...? Best review jest a sneak peak blah blah blah…**

**Bye! ~**


	54. Do You Remember Me?

**Ok, so someone asked me what happened to Sting and Rogue. I've been coming up scenarios for the past few chapters and I've decided on the simplest one, so you'll find out soon ****_cbstormx_****. *writing history essay* NOOO! I should be writing fanfiction! Who cares about The Oregon Trail?! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

"What's amnesia?" I blinked, confused.

"I just explained it to you." The rich dude's eye twitched. "They have lost all of their memories from day one."

"Wait a minute…" Elizabeth interrupted. "Then how come they know how to talk? You said they don't remember anything right?"

"Let's not get technical here," Rich dude sighed. "Memories. Extraordinary moments in life that make people sad, happy, angry. The ones that make pe-"

"I didn't ask for a lecture." Lis groaned. "Damon remembers me though."

"That's just some weird genetic unbreakable bond thing." Rich dude shrugged.

"Luce," I put my hands on her shoulders and shook gently. "Luce, you remember me right?"

Her brown orbs narrowed in a deep concentration, but after a few moments her face relaxed.

"Nope. Should I?" She cocked her head to the side.

She asked that so innocently. So, so innocently. The day we first met in Hargeon, the Sakura tree, the time she became invisible, Nirvana, Edolas, The Grand Magic Games, Tenrou Island, our battles, the jiggle butt gang, her spirits, Fairy Tail, her nakama. She doesn't remember any of it.

My hands dropped down to my sides and my bangs covered my eyes as I turned to look away.

"W-Whoa there pinky, don't be upset." Luce tried to comfort me. "I don't know what this weird rich dude said but if it's about my memory I'm sure we could get it back."

"Lushee." Happy whispered.

"Eh?" Lucy turned around.

I heard a small yelp and I whirled my head around to see what it was. It was Luce on the ground pointing at Happy with a shaky finger.

"T-That cat! It t-talks! And it has w-wings! And it's blue!" Lucy pointed out.

"Thank you, Lucy was it? For stating the obvious." Astrid rolled her eyes and I glared at her, she glared right back at me.

"Lucy, are you sure you don't remember anything?" Erza stepped closer.

"Hmm, nope." Lucy threw her hands up in the air. "This is so frustrating!"

A grin spread across my face as an idea popped into my head. Oi, don't make fun, I get ideas too.

"Oi, Luce." I walked up from behind her and hugged her waist. "You forgot everything right?"

"Yeah…"She stiffened.

"So you don't remember the Sting and Rogue?" I smirked.

"Sting?" A flash of recognition crossed her faced.

I became worried; she remembers the Sabers but nothing else?

"Oh yeah, you mean like a bee, and how they sting right? And 'Rogue' meaning loose or out of control, lite a rogue agent." Lucy nodded in understanding.

"That exactly what I mean." Relief washed over me and I hugged her tighter.

"Uhh, pinky?" I saw the tips of her ears redden.

"It's Natsu." I whispered into her hear which made her shiver.

I grinned once more and released her.

"Hey…" Liz's face scrunched up in concentration. "How come Lucy knows what a bee and a rogue agent is if she lost her memory…and where did the rich guy go?!"

My eyes widened when she had pointed that out. I sniffed out the area only to find out that his scent had completely disappeared.

"Vanish." Erza noticed my confusion. "It's an expensive magic liquid that can make objects, scents, and various other things disappear."

"How do you know that?" I questioned her.

"Um," Her face could rival the shade of her hair. "Ichiya spilt a vial of the stuff on my shirt once."

"Oh." I had no idea why she would be so embarrassed.

Gray on the other hand, was trying to contain his laughter, that is, before Erza hit him on the head knocking him out cold.

"So what now?" Astrid 'tched'.

* * *

**_~Suza~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth woke up several hours ago in abandoned shop where the pastries store had used to be. The first thing they had noticed was that the food was rotten. The _second_ thing they noticed was that their beloved, did I say _beloved_? What I _meant_ to say was that they noticed that the two girls were gone.

Sting immediately stood up, but not before falling back down again.

"What?" Rogue grunted, scanning the room.

"How long has it been? I'm starving." Sting groaned and stood.

"Judging by the food," Rogue stepped away from the repulsive smell of rotten pie. "A couple of days."

"Wait," Sting stopped. "That means Luce could be-"

"Yes, they could be cities away by now." Rogue stretched.

"Where could they have gone?" Sting spun around wildly, in search for the blonde.

"With Astrid's uncle probably. Getting married off to some douchebag." Rogue muttered that last part.

"What about that little girt Eliza and her brother Derek?" Sting remembered. "Shouldn't they have gone of looking?"

"Probably," Rogue was deep in thought. "We should go check out that hotel they were staying at before."

**_~At the Hotel~_**

"Natsu-san." Sting sniffed around. "He was here."

"And the rest of the fairies." Rogue looks at a pure white feather on the ground, an Exceed's feather.

"You think they're with them?" Sting picked up a dagger that was in one of the kitchen drawers.

"There's only one way to find out." They left the room.

* * *

**A little NaLu fluff there, and even though it was sort of hidden if you're the type to skip lines…there was a Sticy moment too. Sorry, I'm not the best at romance as you can tell…**

**I'm going to be keeping these poll results a secret from now on *suspenseful music***

**Review! I really like these reviews you guys. Now there are NaLu and Sticy request with positive feedback (negative ones too) Who ever give me the best one will hereby be crowned king/queen of reviews for this chapter, along with an exclusive sneak peak!**

**Bye! ~**


	55. Tac Tics and Jello

**I'm going to Six Flags tomorrow! (Rollercoaster theme park) I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"What are these?" Damon pulled out a box that laid in his pocket.

"Tac tics." Liz shrugged.

"Are they good?" He took one out.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Liz grinned.

"Hm," He caustiosly put one in his mouth and his eyes widened.

"Here it comes…" Liz waited.

"Oh my god!" He poured three more pieces into his palm. "This is wonderful! Who what the brilliant person who created these magnificent tic tacs?!"

"They're called tac tics, not tic tacs." Liz reminded him.

"WHO CARE ABOUT THE TAC TICS?!" Astrid boomed. "All I want is my memory, a weapon, a way out of this maze of a mansion, and something cold to eat."

"I see you're as unpleasant as ever." Liz and Natsu muttered.

"What was that?" Astrid pulled off an Erza glare.

"Oh look!" Liz pointed down the hall. "Ice cream!"

The plan was to distract Astrid with her ice cream obsession and then the two would hide behind Erza for protection. But since Astrid had memory loos, she just looked at the two in confusion.

"Say what now?" She raised a brow.

"Uh, I need to use the bathroom." Liz quickly opened a random door. "Wow! This really is a bathroom!" You could hear her voice through the door.

"What's up with her?" Astrid shook her head and walked away.

Natsu let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Lucy's side, but then he saw the evil eye Erza gave him since she was in the middle of a conversation about the past with the blonde. He carefully backed away and bumped into Damon, causing the redhead to drop all of his tac tics.

"Nooo!" The dude wailed and knelt on the ground dramatically.

Natsu mentally snickered. _'This guy doesn't deserve a girl like Luce'_ he thought, _'Then again, he has no memory of those three years together…maybe this whole amnesia this isn't so bad?'_ He thought it over. _'No,'_ he shook his head _'No, it's not a good thing.'_

"What'cha thinking about?" Lucy walked along the fire mage's side.

"Stuff." Natsu shrugged and glanced at Damon, who what frantically collecting all of the little bits of candy.

"Five second rule, five second rule…" He kept mumbling.

"Stuuuuff, like what?" Lucy sighed.

"Stuff like-"

"LUCY! What was her name again? Oh, ASTRID!" A voice rang out through the halls, interrupting Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer silently cursed at whoever it was and peered and the shadow from around the corner.

"LU- OH, there she is!" A guy the same age as Natsu with spiky blonde hair and a scar diagonally above his right eye appeared with a dude with a similar age, jet black hair and ruby red eyes.

"Sting." Natsu stood protectively in front of the stellar mage. "What are you doing here?"

"Natsu-san?" Sting blinked in surprise. "Well, it's expected that you'd be here as well, I want to see Lu-"

"You're not seeing Lucy." Natsu half growled.

"Why not?" Sting glared.

"It's your fault she was here in the first place." Natsu shot.

"Y-You know?" Sting paled.

"Yeah, about how you were too pathetic to protect her from the goons, if it weren't for my team and Eliza then she'd probably be someone's fiancée." Natsu stepped closer.

"Uh, it's Liz by the way." Liz exited the bathroom, which of course went unnoticed.

"It was food poisoning, how were we supposed to know?" Sting stood his ground.

"You could have at least sniffed it out, any Dragon Slayer would have been able to." Natsu pointed out.

"It must have been odorless because it left no scent." Sting argued.

"You're just coming up with excuses." Natsu hissed.

"I want to see Lucy." Sting tried to get behind Natsu, but he was blocked.

"Over my dead body." Natsu said with fierce eyes.

"Um," Lucy stepped away. "Things are getting a little intense here, so I'm just going to go-"

"Lucy!" Sting dodged by Natsu and leapt towards the astonished blonde to give her a bear hug.

"Kya! ~" Lucy ducked and Sting sailed over her head, he landed with an 'oof'.

"Ow Lucy," He rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"Sorry but," Lucy stepped away from Sting and closer to Natsu. "I don't know you." **(A/N I should end it right here, I really should, but no…then it would be too short)**

"Wh-What?!" Sting stumbled back.

"Yeah, you heard her. Thanks to you, now she has amnesia." Natsu narrowed his eyes.

"…What's amnesia?" Sting asked, confused.

"Astrid." Rogue walked up to the brunette.

"Hmm?" She turned around and her jaw dropped. "Whoa, are those contacts?"

"What? No!" Rogue denied, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"Then what, is it magic?" She looked at his ruby red eyes. "Or is it a disease?"

"It's my natural eye color, honest." He confirmed.

"You lying." Astrid pestered him.

"Well then what about your eyes huh?" He retorted. "I've never seen a pair of daring eyes like yours."

"How am I supposed to know?!" Astrid threw her hands up. "I don't even know what color they are." She mumbled.

"Wait, so...this amnesia?" Rogue asked carefully.

"Is real." Astrid finished. "Pinky said it had something to do with these guys Sting and Rogue, but he could be lying for all I know."

"Oi! It's Natsu!" Natsu glared at her.

"AND WHAT DOES AMNESIA MEAN?!" Sting was frustrated.

"Memory loss." Lucy recited. "We don't know anything at all from our past anymore. Me, Astrid and Damon."

"So, you don't remember me?" Sting asked.

"Pretty much." Lucy sighed. "And you are?"

"Sting Eucliffe." Sting said his name.

"Rogue Cheney." Rogue said darkly.

"You were that _bee_ Natsu was talking about earlier!" Lucy gasped.

"And you're a…_rogue agen_t?" Astrid guessed.

"Where did you get those ideas?" Sting snorted.

"Natsu-san, what did you tell her?" He questioned the pinkette.

"What did I say about you talking to Luce?" Natsu was pestering Damon, and had just realized what was going on.

"Aw c'mon Natsu. Let Lucy get to know the guy." Liz grinned. "Or are you like this because of a certain feeling?"

"Eh?" Natsu stepped back from the mischievous girl. "What feeling?!"

"Hmm, well it starts with a 'J'." Liz hinted.

"_Jellal_?" Natsu guessed.

"Jellal's here?!" Erza scanned the room.

"No," Liz shook her head. "The next letter is an 'e'."

"Yeah, Jellal." Natsu said it like it was obvious.

"No, not Jellal." Liz glanced at a frantic Titania.

"Well, if it's not _Jellal,_ then you think I'm…" Natsu's eyes widened. "YOU THINK I'M JELLO?!"

* * *

**I want some jello…**

**I have a new offer, the person who is crowned ruler of reviews for this chapter will also be getting a heads up on who is winning in the poll, I just thought that might motivate you guys a bit. So yeah…Review!**

**Bye! ~**


	56. Keys

**These reviews…you guys really have outdone yourselves. I broke my record an rode seven roller coasters in one day, I guess it's because school has started…the longest wait time was only forty five minutes, most of them were fifteen, including the Raging Bull (If you've ever heard of it) I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Oh yes, pinky is jello, that makes so much sense." Astrid scoffed.

"No you idiot," Liz shook her head. "Your jealous, not jello, jealous. J-E-A-L-O-U-S."

"And what does _that _mean?" Natsu blinked.

"Ok," Sting interrupted. "I may not know what 'amnesia' means, but even I know what jealous means."

"Why would Natsu be jealous?" Lucy asked, with the memory wipe she really didn't have an idea what was going on.

Liz walked over to Lucy's side, and on her tip toes, she cupped her hands and whispered something inaudible into the blonde's ears.

"Really?" Lucy's eyes widened in shock and her face flushed a deep red.

"What?" Natsu was curious. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing." Lucy hid her face.

"You can tell me Luce, right?" Sting wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"W-What?" Lucy stuttered.

"Oi!" Natsu growled and pulled Lucy away. "Don't touch her."

"Oh? And why not?" Sting walked closer to the embarrassed blonde.

"Because-"

"All right you two." Astrid came to Lucy's rescue. "Break it up."

"But-" Sting tried to protest.

"Break. It. Up." Astrid ordered. "Leave the poor girl alone."

"Would anyone tell me where Jellal is?!" Erza was still searching.

"Jellal isn't here." Gray said for the hundredth time. "Natsu was just being stupid."

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed.

"I guess it's expected." Damon shrugged. "What kind of guy has pink hair?"

"It's _salmon._" Natsu seethed. "And at least I'm no tic tac addict."

"It's tac tic." Damon huffed.

"Whatever, Lu- _hey!_ Why are to talking to Sting?!" Natsu gasped.

"Huh? Oh, Sting was just asking me if I wanted to join this place called Sabertooth." Lucy explained.

"Not again." Natsu groaned and pulled Lucy away. "You can't listen to him Luce; you've always belonged in Fairy Tail."

"You do not have the right to boss me around pinky. And what, might I ask, is Fairy Tail?" Lucy crossed her arms.

"A mage's guild." Natsu informed. "A guild that holds your memories, a guild that has your nakama."

"But I'm not a mage." Lucy pointed out.

"Yes you are, you're a Celestial Mage." Natsu stopped. "Where are your keys?"

"My keys?" Lucy questioned. "You mean like…house keys?"

"No," Natsu shook his head. "Your Celestial Keys. Leo, the maid, the snowman, the scary fish lady, Cancer the 'shrimp', all of your spirits. I thought you would have at least remembered that."

"You mean constellations and zodiacs?" Lucy asked.

"No Luce," Natsu sighed. "You can summon spirits to aid you in battle."

"That doesn't sound right," Lucy snorted. "If they're spirits then they shouldn't be used just as weapons. They have feelings too, no?"

"Exactly." Natsu grinned.

"So then where are these keys of mine?" Lucy searched her pockets.

"The rich dude must have taken them." Sting growled.

"And whose fault is that?" Natsu glared.

"I…" Sting trailed off.

"That what I thought." Natsu chuckled in triumph.

"So if Jellal isn't here," Erza mumbled. "Then where is he?"

"Why are you so focused on Jellal?" Gray asked.

"She llllllllikes him!" Happy rolled his tongue.

"Yeah, she lllllikes- cake?" Gray stepped back when he saw Erza pull a place of cake from…her armor?

"We have to find Luce's keys and then get the hell out of here." Natsu decided.

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "And we need to find Astrid's daggers as well."

"I had daggers?" Astrid wore a shocked expression.

"You stabbed me once…" Liz mumbled.

"I did? Whoa, I'm awesome." Astrid eyes were filled with awe.

"Lucy!" Lis whined. "Astrid is being mean again!"

"Stop whining, it gets annoying." Astrid scowled.

"Is not!" Liz whined.

"Is too." Astrid smirked.

"Guys!" Lucy hissed. "Stop."

"Fine." Liz huffed. "Only because Lucy said so."

"So…how many keys do I have?" Lucy wondered.

"Five gold ones and ten silver." Natsu answered.

"I thought it was four bronze and two platinum." Sting frowned.

"No," Natsu denied. "Those keys don't even exist."

"Doesn't Lushee have plastic keys too?" Happy asked.

"Or maybe a key card." Gray added.

"No you idiots, it was ten gold and five silver." Astrid insisted.

"And how do you know that?" Erza questioned.

"I…don't know." Astrid frowned. "I just did."

"Maybe the amnesia is starting to wear off?" Rogue suggested, eyeing the brunette.

"Maybe…" Lucy didn't sound convinced.

"Astrid had three daggers though." Liz pointed out. "Silver, gold, and air."

"What in the world in an air dagger?" Astrid sighed.

"A dagger made of compressed air." Liz explained. "Silvia gave it to you."

"Who's Silvia?" Rogue questioned.

"The dra- my mother." Liz quickly corrected herself. "Long story."

"Everybody! Hide!" Erza ordered.

With no explanation, the mages hid in the narrow hallway. Gray had created an ice sculpture and hid behind that. Liz morphed into a maid they had seen earlier, shocking everyone. Damon in in a bathroom with Lucy. Natsu hid behind a flowerpot next to Sting. Erza requipped into a knight's armor and stood along the wall, looking like a decoration. Happy latched onto the ceiling. Astrid hid behind Rogue, who blended in with his surroundings.

A group of formal men came down the narrow corridor in a deep conversation.

"So the items have been sent to the auction house?" One of them asked.

"Yes, I heard they were quite expensive, and even a few of them containing a magical power." A chubbier one spoke.

"Jacob can find the finest items." A frail old man nodded.

After a few more moments of talking about Fiore's politics with the Pergrande Kingdom, the group of rich men turned the corner and was out of earshot.

"Do you think those items they were talking about were Lucy and Astrid's items?" Liz inquired.

"What else?" Gray nodded.

The doorknob to the bathroom door that Damon and Lucy had hid in started to jiggle.

"Uh, I think the door is jammed." Said the unmistakable voice of Lucy.

"What?!" Natsu and Sting exclaimed.

"Yeah." Damon agreed. "We're stuck in here together."

'Together…together…together…' Those words echoed through the pinkette and the blonde Dragon Slayer's minds.

"No." Sting growled.

"I will rescue you Luce." Natsu decided.

"Eh? But Damon not going to do anything." Came Lucy's muffled voice.

"Hey Lucy, do you want a tac tic?" Damon offered.

"NO!" Natsu shouted. "It might be poisoned."

* * *

**I noticed that I've been writing a lot more dialogue lately…**

**I have a question for all you readers out there. Trivia corner! *game show music plays*According to the Dragon Slayers, what does Elizabeth smell like? First person to answer correctly will know who is in the lead for the poll! But the best review still gets the sneak peak, yes, I'm bribing you.**

**Bye! ~**


	57. Loke and Dan

**Elizabeth smells like cherry blossoms and peaches! Lots of you got it right, but only the first three got a hint on who was winning. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Moonlea Mansion~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Oh look there was a key to unlock the door right here the whole time." Lucy's eyes caught the glint of something golden half hidden under the plush rug.

"Really?" Natsu was pressed against the door; Erza had forbade him from destroying it.

"Yeah," Lucy picked it up. "It's a weird looking key."

"Well the owner of the place is a weird person." Astrid snorted. "What does it look like?"

"It's gold…"Lucy murmured.

"Go figure." Gray sighed. "We've passed dozens of gold sculptures."

"But it had a weird design, like a lion's mane." Lucy thought for a moment. "And there's this symbol on it, a circle connected to a curved line. And it's red."

"Loke!" Erza remembered. "That's Loke's key."

"Loke? He lost this? Do you think we should give it back?" Lucy frowned.

"Lushee." Happy walked to the door. "Loke is one of your spirits."

"You mean the star- celestial ones?" Lucy corrected herself.

"Yeah, summon him so you can get out of there." Sting recommended.

"But how?" Lucy's shoulders sagged. "Amnesia, remember?"

"Open! Gate of the lion! Loke! That's what you say." Gray informed the confused girl.

"Uuuh, okay?" Lucy lifted the key into the air. "Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!"

A bright shimmering light filled the already lift up room and the two mages inside had to shield their eyes. Once everything had dimmed a bit, Lucy found herself face to face with a handsome young man. He wore a crisp suit along with a pair of blue tinted glasses, his messy orange hair spiked out in all directions. He lowered himself onto one knew and took Lucy's right hand, kissing the back of it gently.

"U-Uh…" A splash of pink appeared on the blonde's cheeks.

"It's nice to see you again, Princess." Loke smirked.

"I-I'm a p-princess?" Lucy stuttered.

"She's a princess?" Damon's jaw dropped.

"Did I just hear princess?" Astrid questioned.

"LOKE!" Natsu roared and banged on the doors. "You had better not try anything in there."

"What?!" Sting's eyes widened. "Who exactly is this guy?"

"A playboy." Erza replied. "But he seems to be more interested in Lucy these days."

"So uh…we're sort of stuck in here." Lucy pointed to the door. "I heard that you could get us out?"

"So the rumors of your amnesia are true…"Loke murmured.

"How do you know?" Lucy raised a brow.

"Word travels fast in the spirit world," Loke nodded. "Do you need me to re-jog your memory?" He stepped closer to her.

"JUST GET HER OUT OF THERE!" Sting ordered.

"NO NEED FOR ANYTHING UNESSECARY!" Natsu reminded.

"Alright then," Loke moved away with a sad sigh. "Regulus!"

A bright light shot out from one of the rings Loke wore and blasted off the doorknob. The dore creaked open revealing a worried Sting and Natsu.

"LUCY!" Sting lunged.

But Natsu beat him to it, the Dragon Slayer pulled Lucy into a tight hug, then he checked for any injuries.

"Geez Natsu, I was stuck in a bathroom, not dueling against Erza." Lucy joked.

"But he could have done something." Natsu hissed.

"Who, me or this guy?" Damon pointed to Loke.

"Both." Natsu glared.

Damon took a shaky step back, but Loke was unfazed. Instead he walked up to Astrid and kissed the back of her hand as well, much to Rogue's annoyance.

"And you are?" He looked into her stormy eyes.

"Astrid." She replied coldy, Loke was still holding her hand.

"*Ahem*" Rogue cleared his throat. "We still have to look for the other keys and daggers."

"Lucy's keys are in Cremer, I believe." Loke let go of Astrid's hand. "But the whereabouts of the daggers are unkown to me."

"But now we have to get out of here." Damon sighed. "How?"

"There's a broken window up ahead," Liz grinned. "I did it myself."

"Did you get cut?" Astrid asked.

"A little." Liz rubbed her injured hands.

"Good." The brunette smirked.

"Hey!" Liz stomped her foot, but Astrid had already walked away.

* * *

**_~Moonlea Gardens~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The mages swiftly moved through the shattered glass window un harmed, but now they were currently lost in the middle of a garden maze.

"Well this is just great." Astrid huffed.

"Ooh! These roses are pretty!" Liz's eyes sparkled at the silvery flowers.

"What if I just burned a hole through all the shrubbery…" Natsu mumbled.

"Or I could cut it down." Erza commented.

"My dark shadows have the power to wilt the plants, I can create a path." Rogue offered.

"Aye! But I can see the exit from here!" Happy flew above.

"Oh yeah," Damon nodded. "The flying cat."

"I'm an Exceed!" Happy objected.

"Hai, hai. A cat that exceeds in flying." Damon grinned.

"Nevermind! I'm not showing you the exit!" Happy's wings disappeared.

"But now how are we supposed to-" Natsu frowned.

"Mm, they taste good too." Liz ate a rose.

"Wh-" Gray stepped back. "What the?! What are you?"

"That's mean." Liz pouted.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," Gray didn't want to hurt her feelings. "It's just unusual for people to eat flowers…"

"I know!" Liz beamed. "I'm glad Silvia taught me!"

"Wait," Erza lowered her guard. "How did Silvia teach you how to eat flowers?"

"Uhh…" Liz panicked. "Survival skills."

"Roses are healthy? The thorns must hurt, yet you ate the whole thing." Sting said caustiosly.

"Yeah, it's not like people could just go around eating air or fire." Astrid scoffed.

"Oi, I can eat fire!" Natsu pointed out.

"I said people, you are obviously not human." Astrid stepped away.

"Yeah," Natsu smirked. "I'm a Dragon Slayer."

"You don't even know how to take an insult." Astrid shook her head sorrowfully. "I give up."

"These leaves are good too, expected of a rich person's garden." Liz ate some of the bushes as if it were a salad.

"Ooh! Sweet peas!" Liz plucked the flower.

"Happy, just show us a way out of here please." Lucy sighed.

"Aye sir!" He flew off.

After they had made a right and then another right, they were at the exit.

"We were this close?!" Liz exclaimed, nibbling on lavender.

"Aye!" Happy grinned.

"Happy, why didn't you just tell us?" Gray sweat dropped.

"I wanted to see what Dan was going to do!" Happy pointed off into the hedges.

"Lu!" A man came out of the hedge. "Cy!"

"Eh?" Lucy turned around.

"Lu-tan!" The man with messy brown hair charged at the blonde for a hug.

But of course, there were the Dragon Slayers. Natsu and Sting blocked the path to Lucy causing Dan to come skidding to a halt.

"Lu-pi!" He tried to walk around them.

"Who are you?" Sting pushed him.

"Dan Straight." He answered. " And I have come here to see my precious Lun-lun!"

"Lu-pi?" Astrid raised a brow.

"Lun-lun?" Liz giggled.

"Wh-Who are you? Lucy asked.

"Ah! You have forgotten about me!" Dan cried anime style. "But don't worry, once we get married-"

"MARRIED?!" Sting and Natsu choked.

"Yes, me and Lu-chan are in L-O-V-E!" He posed.

"Another weirdo." Astrid rolled her eyes.

Dan turned his attention to the brunette and his heart jumped.

"Another beautiful mage! What is your name?!" He took her hand.

"Astrid, at least…that's what they tell me." Astrid let go.

"No! This choice I have to make between the beautiful Ash-chan and Lu-pi!" Dan wailed.

"Ash-chan?" Astrid looked disgusted. "Oi! Don't laugh!" She glared at a snickering Rogue.

"Married?!" Sting still hadn't gotten over that part yet.

"It's just some fantasy this guy made up when he met Lucy." Gray explained. "He's in love with her…and Astrid?"

"First Natsu, then Damon, next was Loke, and now this guy?!" Sting exclaimed.

"What is your business here?" Erza asked.

"I have been assigned to capture the intruders," He paused "But I was lucky enough to run into Lun-lun and Ash-chan!"

This time, Rogue stiffened a bit at the mention of 'Ash-chan'. Astrid however, did not notice this and exited through the elaborate vinyl gates.

"Mhm, are we leaving or what?" She looked back.

"Hai~" Lucy quickly followed, wanting to get away from Dan as soon as possible.

"Lu-pi! ~" He cried after her, but Natsu had shut the gate behind them with extra force.

"Until we meet again!" Dan attempted to climb over the twelve foot gate. **(A/N Yes, it was that tall)**

"Well that was weird." Lucy shivered.

"Yeah, he was wearing armor in the middle of summer." Damon chuckled. "And he wasn't even fighting."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Erza glared.

Damon gulped in nervousness realizing that Erza too, had been wearing armor. "N-Not at all!"

"So what? We're going to Cremer?" Liz finished a daffodil. "That one place with a lot of-"

"Books!" Lucy's face brightened up. "The library right?"

"You remember?" Liz grinned.

"Only that much…" Lucy concentrated harder. "Am I the only one hungry?"

"How about some ice cream?" Rogue suggested with a smirk.

"Ice cream?" Astrid raised a brow. "Why not?"

* * *

**I just wanted to tie up a few loose ends in this chapter, I know I said that they wouldn't be as short anymore but I lied okay?**

**Review! Now you all know who is still in the lead. Fun Fact: Astrid's birthday is on September 27th**

**Bye! ~**


	58. Magical Desserts Exist

**I made it! By only an hour or so, it's almost midnight…I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Ice cream Store~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"What would you like miss?" The waitress asked Astrid.

"Hmm, a strawberry scoop? Just plain, I don't even know what one really tastes like." Astrid decided.

"Chocolate parfait!" Liz grinned.

"Cinnamon." Damon, Natsu, and Sting said at the same time.

Natsu and Sting glared at Damon, much to the poor boy's confusion, before glaring at each other.

"I'll have chocolate." Rogue ordered.

"Fish!" Happy smiled.

"Um, we don't have fish flavored ice cream…" The waitress sweat dropped.

Happy sulked off into a corner.

"Strawberry cake ice cream deluxe." Erza read the menu.

"Nothing for me, I've got my own ice." Gray passed.

"Alright!" The waitress finished writing it all down. "Your orders should be ready in just a few moments!"

And it did come, in half an hour. I was starving at this point an wondering whether ice cream really was a healthy lunch. Then again, I had woken up with amnesia, dragged through a mansion, summoned a freaking spirit, got lost in a garden, and then a soldier declared his love for me, so I guess I kind of deserved an unhealthy lunch.

"Finally." Astrid rolled her eyes when she saw the food coming. "I thought I was going to die of starvation."

"I'd never let that happen." I heard a voice say.

I whipped my head around to the direction of that quiet voice and saw rogue, Sting and Natsu must have noticed it too because they were eyeing him suspiciously.

"Hm." Astrid scooped some into her mouth and then stayed silent.

"So…" Liz grinned. "How is it?"

Astrid stopped breathing; it was easy to tell she was in some sort of shock because her stormy grey eyes went as wide as saucers. She froze over completely.

"…Astrid?" Damon waved his hand in front of her face, but he got no response.

After another minute or so of silence, the girl slowly turned her head to look down at her bowl and blinked. Then there was silence. Lifting her head up again she look over at Rogue, who was clearly starting to worry about her reaction.

She looked down at the dessert and blinked again.

"This…" She whispered. "What is this…?"

"Um, ice cream?" Liz stated the obvious.

"Is this…" Astrid quivered slightly. "…a piece of heaven?"

When she lifted her head once more there were tears in her eyes.

"Whoa." Liz stared in wonder. "Astrid is crying. Rogue, you made her cry."

"Wh-What?" Rogue clearly wasn't expecting this. "What's wrong?"

It was obvious that these were tears of joy, Liz and everyone else knew that, except for Rogue apparently.

"This…" She ate another scoop and then her spoon clattered to the tabletop and she fainted.

"Astrid!" Rogue leaped over to catch her before she hit the ground.

* * *

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

One moment I was seeing flying colors and sparks as overwhelming emotions flowed through me the moment I had some of that ice cream. Seriously, this thing holds some kind of great magical power. The next moment everything had gone black, I felt someone catch me before I had fallen, but it must have been the ice cream, because it's just that magical.

It was then when I remembered. Lucy invading my cave, running away from the goons, beating up Natsu for the first time, meeting Sting and Rogue, Elizabeth's annoying attitude, Satan's Belly, Silvia, my powers, and most important of all…ice cream. It bewildered me how I managed to forget about the rich and creamy taste, the refreshing cold temperature on a hot day, the sweet taste of strawberries. I was almost mad about myself for not remembering.

After a few moments of thinking about this, I cracked my eyes open, I was on a train.

"Astrid!" Rogue noticed I had awoken.

"Yeah?" I stretched. "Why are we on a train?"

"You had that ice cream and then you started to cry," Ah yes, tears of joy… "But when you fainted I thought the ice cream was poisoned like the pie, but you wouldn't remember the pie because of the amnesia. Nevermind that, but then we had to get going before your uncle found us, so now we're on our way to Cremer."

"Oh." I blinked.

"Astrid!" Lucy opened the door from the other train cart. "You're all better!"

"Yep." I grinned.

"Damn, she's all better." Liz entered the room.

I chose to ignore that little comment; I wasn't going to let that little brat ruin my mood. I looked over at Rogue again and noticed he was a little pale.

"Whoa there." I squinted at his bleak expression. "Are _you_ okay?"

"He has motion sickness." Liz giggled.

"So do Sting and Natsu, Liz is a little faint." Lucy added.

"Serves her right, being the only one to actually throw a punch." I muttered.

"What?" Liz cocked her head. "You remember?!"

"Yeah," I scratched my head. "You know how they say when you're about to die your life flashes before your eyes?"

Rogue had that worried expression again.

"Well it was sort of the opposite, the ice cream had such a good effect that I got my memories back." I finished. "Thanks to Rogue."

"I didn't do anything." He denied.

"You're the one who suggested we get ice cream of all things, not the healthiest lunch as Lucy would say." I pointed out.

"She's got a point." Lucy nodded in agreement.

_***Five minutes until the train arrives in Cremer***_

The intercom went off.

"How long was I out?" I stifled a yawn.

"Four, Five hours tops." Lucy shrugged. "It's almost seven."

"Wait a minute," I paled. "My vacation time, I wasted this entire day. Now I only have what, two days left?"

"Yep." Liz grinned. "Then we're back to training twenty four seven!"

"Stupid Silvia and her rules, why couldn't it have been two weeks? Or better yet, a month?" I clenched my fist.

"So I'm the only one who doesn't remember?" Lucy pouted.

"There's Damon." Liz reminded her.

"Oh yeah, him." I rolled my eyes. "He's still hooked on those tac tics?"

"Tac tics?" Damon entered the scene. "Where?"

"I thought so." I sighed. "Rogue, come over here before you go puking all over the place.

* * *

**A little Rostrid here and there, at least Ash has her memories back right? I'm supposed to be asleep now, see what I go through for you readers? If I get caught I could be banned from my computer for who knows how long.**

**Review! It's like, I imagine one half of my readers wearing T-shirts with two blondes screaming "STICY!" and the other half are wearing white scarves and keys on their belts shouting "NALU!" Then there are those few people who just say "Eh, whatever. It's your choice."**

**Bye!~**


	59. Split Up

**So, my homework assignment was to write a narrative that was at least 250 words long. Most people were like "250 words?!" and whined. But I'm over here like "250 words?! What is this? A mini paragraph?" Fanfiction really has helped me academically…I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I hopped off of the Titanic Express, funny name, it seems familiar somehow. Walking along the streets of Cremer, I noticed a lot of people in elaborate dresses and crisp suits all headed towards the large elegant building up ahead.

"You think that's where the auction house is?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know…" Astrid murmured. "It only says 'Moonlea Auction House' on the front, but we can't be certain."

"Look! It's the gumball machine from before!" Liz pulled on my sleeve and dragged me to the candy filled object.

"Can I have one? Please! Please! Pleeaaassse?!" Liz asked.

"It's not for me to decide." I raised my hands in defense.

"We're all out of jewels, maybe we could rob the auction house, and after all, my uncle stole all that money we won." Astrid scoffed.

"We can't just steal." Natsu shot that down. "Stealing is wrong."

"And so is setting things on fire." Astrid reminded.

"I don't do that intentionally." Natsu frowned.

"Whoa," Astrid fake gasped. "That was a big word there pinky."

"It's Natsu." Natsu glared.

"That's enough." Erza interrupted them. "We need to sneak in the au-"

"Why do we need to sneak in?" Damon wondered.

"Yeah, why?" Liz asked. "We've got Astrid, the heir to the Moonlea company, they'd let us in, right?"

"But the guards may know about Astrid's escape, Dan could have reported it."

"I doubt that." I shook my head. "If Dan was 'in love' with me and Ash, he wouldn't want to put is in danger right?"

Is it me, or did this tension in the air appear the moment I said 'in love'?

"Probably," Sting cleared his throat. "But we should still be on guard."

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Happy!" Natsu scolded. "Don't agree with him."

"Aye!" Happy agreed with Natsu.

"Can we get something to eat after this? Preferably ice cream?" Astrid sighed.

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "And fish!"

"So how are we going to sneak in?" Gray wondered.

"We'd need a costume, something formal." Erza decided.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"But we have no money." Rogue commented.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"We could always do a job." Liz mentioned.

"Ay-"

"Will you _stop_ that?!" Astrid looked at the agreeing cat.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Let's just sell the cat for money!" Astrid's eye twitched and Rogue nodded in agreement.

"Ay- hey!" Happy frowned. "Natsuuuu! Ashtwid is being mean!"

"It's your own fault." Astrid scoffed. "So if we're going to go on a job, shouldn't we split up? We're in a really big bunch."

"I think it's best if me and Luce team up." Natsu suggested.

"OR me." Sting butted in.

"Lucy, which one of us?!" They said at the same time.

"Uh," I didn't want to hurt their feelings so I chose- "Astrid!"

"Sorry Lucy, but I'm with Rogue on this one." Astrid flashed an apologetic smile.

"Liz?" I looked at her.

"Bye Lushee!" Happy was carrying her away.

"Well," I sighed in defeat. "You two need to get to know each other more so I'm going to go with Damon."

"What?" The two paled.

"Are you questioning Lucy's decision?" Erza made a scary face, she had already partnered with Gray.

"N-Not at all!" The two linked elbows.

"Good." Erza nodded and Gray snickered. "Now we must hurry before Lucy's keys get auctioned off and end up in the wrong hands."

* * *

**_~Natsu and Sting~_**

The two Dragon Slayers sulked off together as the large group split apart. _'Why did she choose Damon of all people?' _They both thought. _'Why not me? Now I'm stuck with this guy…'_

"After this I'm getting Lucy back." Natsu declared.

"Not if I can help it, she barely remembers you." Sting scoffed.

"I'll make her remember." Natsu stated.

"Oh we'll see about that, I'll prove it to you." Sting pointed to a small booth at the end of the street. "That fortune teller, she'll say that Lucy ends up with me."

The rivals walked to the dark purple and mysterious stand and approached the girl, no older than sixteen.

"Hi," She greeted them. "I am the fortune teller, Laura."

* * *

**_~Elizabeth and Happy~_**

"Liz!" Happy whispered into Liz's ear.

"Hm?" Liz scanned for any jobs.

"I took some jewels from Erza, we have enough money for fish and candy!" Happy giggled.

"Happy, put me down right now, we don't have time to do jobs." Liz ordered. "The food is calling out to us."

* * *

**_~Erza and Gray~_**

"Do you think Lucy will ever remember?" Gray wondered aloud.

"Well, Astrid got hers, so there has to be a way for Lucy too." Erza nodded.

"You have to pay a toll from beyond this point." A guard approached them.

"And why is that?" Gray questioned.

"Just regulations established by Jacob Moonlea himself." The guard replied.

"Let me just get the- who took the jewels?!" Erza exclaimed in rage.

* * *

**_~Astrid and Rogue~_**

"Oh look, an ice cream store." Astrid stated nonchalantly. "Yeah, ice cream, I would kill for a cone right now…"

"Let's hurry up and find a job." Rogue quickly walked past the shop and Astrid let out a heavy sigh of disappointment.

"Is that an ice cream stand?" Astrid did a double take.

"Free samples! Get your free samples here!" The woman announced.

"I'll just take this." Astrid snatched a sample and ate it at once. "Oh, I forgot something back there."

She walked past the ice cream stand again and sneakily took another one. As she made her way back she took two more.

"What did you forget?" Rogue asked, already knowing what she was up to.

"Uh," Astrid thought hard. "I thought I left my uh, dagger, but then I remembered that I don't have them anymore."

"Sure," Rogue smirked. "Whatever you say."

* * *

**_~Lucy and Damon~_**

"Is it me, or did Natsu and Sting seen sort of mad?" Lucy pondered the thought.

"If only you knew…" Damon shook his head.

* * *

***blink*Ah, I finished.**

**Review! I haven't done this for the past few chapters but best review gets a sneak peak and the first one to answer this question knows who is in the lead AND how many points ahead. Who were the first few members of Fairy Tail had Astrid met so far? (Excluding Team Natsu)**

**Bye!~**


	60. Laura and Andrew

**The answer was: Mirajane, Lisanna, Master, Laxus, and Gildarts. Gajeel and Levy came in about twenty chapters later, and I have no idea how Macao and Wakaba got thrown in there. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Natsu and Sting~_**

"Laura? That doesn't sound very fortune teller like." Natsu frowned.

"And she's just a kid!" Sting sneered.

"Hey! I'm older than Liz!" Laura protested.

Laura's hair was fuchsia, tied up in high and long wavy pigtails that reached the middle of her back. She had sparkling blue eyes and an innocent face, but something about her seemed…off.

"How do you know Liz?" Sting grew serious.

"Uh," Laura looked around nervously. "I'm a fortune teller, duh. You can also call me Lori the psychic."

"But you even know her age?" Natsu asked.

"Yep, and I know all about you." Laura grinned. "From the moment Lucy left Fairy Tail to now, I vote NaLu by the way."

"Na what?" Natsu was confused.

"Forget about it." Laura waved a hand. "Now why have you come here today?"

"Lucy," Natsu shifted awkwardly. "Does she like me or Sting better?"

"Heheh," Laura chuckled darkly. "The answer you seek with be at the edge of the Griff Cliffs that hovers above the Kensuke waters."

"Where's that?" Sting looked around.

"I also sell maps for tourists!" Laura reached behind the stand and pulled out a bundle of papers. "Only 150 jewels each!"

"There's a city map board just across the street. "Sting pointed out.

"Oh…" Laura blinked. "Well then."

"Looks like the Griff Cliffs are in the west." Natsu murmured.

"No, that's the _east_." Sting argued.

"I'm telling you it's in the _wes_t." Natsu growled.

"_East_!" Sting hollered. "If there was a compass on the map like there should be then we would know!"

"Well life isn't full of luxuries," Natsu scoffed. "Let's go check in the west first."

* * *

**_~Happy and Elizabeth~_**

"Happy, these are all the jewels Astrid had. "Liz peered into the green backpack.

"Aye sir!" The Exceed confirmed.

"She's going to kill us if she finds out." She paled.

"Aye! That's why we have to spend it all and enjoy the food while we can!" Happy suggested.

"Good idea…" Liz nodded and then they took off into the pastry shop. "Wait. I've seen that guy before; he was in uh…Suza."

He wore a brown trench coat and a had that covered his face, but you could see little spikes of navy blue hair sticking out on the sides.

"A stalker?!" Happy gasped.

"Maybe, but what if he's not stalking us." Liz thought hard. "What if he is stalking one of the others?"

"We should keep an eye on him!" Happy played ninja until-

"Fiiiiish! Get your fish here!" A young girl with long pink hair carried a wheelbarrow full of fresh fish. "Hiya there!" She waved.

"Fish." Happy became dreamy eyed.

"I'm Laura, wan't some fish?" She offered the hunger neko a bite.

"Aye sir!" Happy snatched it away greedily.

* * *

**_~Astrid and Rogue~_**

"I heard this place had a request board for the mages who don't belong in a guild, just like in Clementine." Astrid murmured to herself.

"Yeah," Rogue agreed. "Maybe it by that sign that says request board."

Astrid turned her head to where Rogue was pointing and saw the sign that led the solo mages into a large building. She could hear Rogue snickering at her lack of observance and she shoved him to the side and walked up the steep steps.

"I knew that…"She mumbled and Rogue chuckled some more.

Once inside, the two mages entered the small, but packed room. There were mages from a variety of ages all crowding the back wall, where all the requests were.

"It's going to be hard finding a job like this." Astrid said after some guy in a trench coat had shoved her to the side and then she had shoved him with twice the force in revenge.

That's when she had noticed that trench coat guy had dropped a request flyer onto the ground, seeing that he was rude to her; there was no point in returning it back to him.

"Hm," She read the sheet. "Defeat sirens in the Kensuke Waters, reward is 50,000 jewels."

"Not bad." Rogue shrugged.

"Well it's the best we're going to get." Astrid sighed.

* * *

**_~Lucy and Damon~_**

"So how are we supposed to get a job?" Damon wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Lucy shrugged. "Ask someone who looks like they need help with something? I don't exactly have any memories of doing a job before so ask me."

"I haven't been on any jobs either. I was stuck in an orphanage for eight years and then training with a dragon for the next three after all." Damon pointed out with a sigh.

"Anyone want a free tour of Cremer? Hometown to the largest library in Fiore!" A girl exclaimed.

"Ooh the library!" Lucy beamed. "Liz and Ash told me I had been there before, but I want to see it again!"

Lucy walked up to the teenage girl with ocean blue eyes who happily handed Happy yet another fish.

"Can you show me where the library is?" She asked the girl.

"Sure!" The pinkette grinned. "But you'll have to take the full tour as well, at the end there's going to be a special surprise!"

"It's free right?" Lucy confirmed.

"Yep! Sure is! My name is Laura~" Laura waved.

"Alrighty! Just let me go get some business taken care of and I'll meet up with you here in fifteen minutes, okay?" Laura ran off.

"Bye Laura!" Lucy waved at the cherry teen.

* * *

**_~Laura's POV~_**

"Andrew! Andrew where are you?!" I searched for my partner.

"Oh there you are." He came from around the corner wearing that stupid trench coat again.

"Will you take that off?" I sighed. "Just because you are a stalker doesn't mean you have to _look_ like one."

"But I like this get up!" He argued. "It makes me feel more professional! And I'm not a stalker! It's detective."

"Whatever you say, did you slip them the paper?" I wanted to make sure he did his job right, for once.

"Yeah, these guys aren't the brightest." Andrew took off his hat, revealing dark blue, messy hair."

"You need a haircut." I frowned.

"So do you." He retorted.

"At least I keep mine neat." I pouted.

"What about you? Did you get the others?" He asked me.

"Yeah, the Dragon Slayers should be arriving later on in the day, those idiots. It was in the east not west. I bribed the cat along with the girl, and I need to give Miss Heartfilia and her boyfriend a tour in," I checked the time. "Ten minutes."

"Don't screw up." He warned me.

"I could say the same thing to you." I scoffed. "You're always getting caught."

* * *

**Who are Laura and Andrew? What do they have to do with everyone else? What is this scheming plan of theirs? Honestly? I don't even know myself…**

**Review! These reviews aren't that bad, but I'm going to make this trivia question a bit easier this time: According to this fanfiction, why does Lucy smell like strawberries and vanilla?**

**Bye! ~**


	61. Griff Cliffs

**Here's the deal, right now? There are only 61 chapters. No, I didn't ****_delete_**** them, what I ****_did_**** was combine the shorter chapters together. My reasons? Well, 75 chapters is ****_A LOT_**** believe it or not, and some chapters weren't even 1,000 words. The story is still the same though, like I said before, some chapters have just been ****_combined._**

**The answer was indeed her shampoo, lots of you got this right once again so I'm going to say it out loud, ****_Sticy _****is in the lead. I bet when I wake up tomorrow, Sticy will ****_still_**** be in the lead. I guarantee it, but I am truly a diehard NaLu fan, I just want all of your opinions.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Natsu and Sting~_**

"There's nothing here but mountains!" Sting exclaimed.

"I told you it was in the east!" Natsu said.

"_You_ said east?_ I'm_ the one who said east!" Sting growled.

"Don't lie to me like you lie to Luce. I'm the one who said it was in the east. You're the blockhead who thought it was west." Natsu argued.

"What does Lucy have anything to do with this?!" Sting huffed. "You're just being stubborn!"

"Am not!" Natsu stubbornly said. "To prove it, ask that old lady over there, I saw her by the fortune teller stand earlier."

The pinkette pointed off into the distance to an elderly woman carrying a basket of bread.

"Hey!" Natsu called. "You there!"

The woman turned around and smiled weakly at the two questioning mages.

"How may a help you?" She asked kindly.

"Kensuke Waters." Sting stated. "Where is it? East or West?"

"East of course, I could show you if you'd like." She offered.

"I told you!" Sting sneered.

"No,_ I_ told you!" Natsu denied.

"So, do you need help finding the place or not?" The poor woman sweat dropped.

"I knew it was in the east! It's common sense!" Sting argued, completely ignoring the man.

"You're just making stuff up." Natsu crossed his arms in disbelief. "I'm going east."

"I was going to go that way anyway." Sting scoffed as the two angry Dragon Slayers stomped off east.

* * *

**_~Erza and Gray~_**

The redhead and stripper had finished their first job for today. It had already been an hour or two, and they needed to get as many jewels as possible since someone had stolen the one hidden in Erza's armor. The job was to escort an elderly woman home, no big deal; it was only just across the city. But Cremer was a wealthy city full of rich people, so the total amount of jewels awarded was 25,000 jewels. The second job they had chosen was to teach a few kids some swimming lessons down by the Kensuke Water, again, no big deal. This one, however, was worth 50,000 jewels, which surprised both mages.

"Kensuke Waters?" Gray questioned. "That's one of the deepest bodies of water in Fiore."

"Yeah, the first ten meters or so is shallow, only about nine feet, but the rest goes downhill from there, literally." Erza nodded. "Not very safe for swimming lessons."

"But it explains the pay." Gray commented. "After this we'll have 75,000 jewels at least."

"Kensuke water is in the east, but let's take a quick stop at that store over there." Erza pointed off to The Cheesecake Factory. **(A/N It's a real store, which I do not own. Even though I would love to…eat it all.)**

"That'll be the third tome today." Gray sweat dropped.

* * *

**_~Astrid and Rogue~_**

"I think we're lost." Rogue mentioned.

"No we aren't." Astrid scoffed.

They were standing in line, in an ice cream store.

"I'm pretty sure we are." Rogue sighed. "Or you just got distracted."

"Well, we got lucky when I found those 15,000 jewels just lying on the ground, and I'm going to spend them!" Astrid decided. "Wow, they have a lot of choices."

Astrid tilted he head upwards at the menu hanging above and looked at the options of sundaes, scoops, parfaits, and more in awe. Rogue too, was looking at something, but it wasn't food. He studied Astrid's face, her unique grey eyes as they scanned the menu. The wave of her dark chocolate brown hair, and her amused smirk once she had found what she was looking for.

"Hehe, strawberry supreme deluxe's are everywhere." She snickered. "But they only come in a large and it costs exactly 15,000 jewels."

"I guess we'll share." Rogue nodded.

"You're funny." Astrid chuckled. "Have you seen how big their large is? It's like, the size of Happy's backpack, barely a scoop."

"So, I'm not going to eat anything?" Rogue said.

"It's not like you were hungry anyways." Astrid walked up to the counter.

And she was right; he was not hungry at all. How she knew that, will be a mystery to him forever.

"I'll have the strawberry supreme deluxe please!" Astrid grinned. "Here's the money in advance."

"Your dish will be ready in no more than five minutes, please, have a seat and enjoy some lacrima vision." The cashier smiled.

"Don't tell me what to do." Astrid said darkly before grinning and saying. "Just kidding, but seriously."

The two mages took a seat closest to the entrance and awaited Astrid's 'meal'.

* * *

**_~Elizabeth and Happy~_**

Laura had told the two that there were plenty of fish down by the Kensuke Waters, so of course Happy jumped at the opportunity. It had only taken them about five minutes to reach the sandy shores thanks to Happy's Max Speed.

"Fiiiiiish!" Happy scanned the water for the sea creatures.

"Uh, Happy, you can put me down now." Liz wasn't very comfortable hovering over the water. "I wanted to collect some seashells while you ate fish remember?"

"Aye sir!" Happy dropped Liz off on the small deserted beach.

"Wow, this sad is really hot." Liz hissed and then scooped and handful into her mouth. "Ugh, and it tastes dry too. Is that seaweed?"

"Lizzy!" Happy wailed. "Laura lied! There isn't any fish!"

"Yeah, there aren't any seashells here either." Liz noted. "But seaweed isn't half bad. It could use a little salt though."

"Does it taste like fish?" Happy asked hopefully.

"No, it tastes like…seaweed." Liz nodded. "If there wasn't any fish here in the first place, then why'd Laura tell us to come her of all places? The water is really deep, there are cliffs directly above us, not exactly a safe place to be…"

"Maybe all the fish were eaten! Or swam away!" Happy pointed out.

"I doubt that." Liz shook her head. "Something just doesn't add up here."

* * *

**_~Damon and Lucy~_**

"And here we are!" Laura grinned. "The Griff Cliffs, the special surprise!"

Laura had given both Lucy and Damon a tour of Cremer. The library was tremendous; it had separate rooms for different genres. There was also The Cheese Cake Factory, but they didn't get to stop by since they had no jewels. The park was a massive area with bike trails, fountains, benches, a playground, and sakura trees.

But Griff Cliffs, Griff Cliffs was a rocky structure that hung almost twenty meters over the deep and dangerous Kensuke waters. Lucy couldn't see what was so special and exciting about the place, and Damon sensed danger.

"Um…" Lucy backed away from the edge. "I don't like this."

"Yeah, shouldn't there be a railing or something?" Damon peered over the edge.

"I guess," Liz shrugged. "But have you ever heard of cliff diving?"

Laura cocked her head to the side and let her hair fall in front of her face, she grinned evilly.

"Um, yeah." Lucy took another step back. "I remember something like that, but isn't it dangerous? In a place like this…"

"Oh but it is. Maybe even lethal." Laura took a step closer to the blonde. "The pressure from the deep water below can kill, more importantly the impact you'll fell when you hit the water's surface will feel as hard as concrete."

"Th-Then why are we here?" Damon asked.

"How else are we going to help the boss?" Laura asked innocently.

"The boss?" Lucy questioned.

"Mr. Moonlea, our savior." Laura nodded.

"Mr. Moonlea?!" Damon gawked. "The rich dude?!"

"What do you mean, 'our' savior?" Lucy looked around.

"Andrew!" Laura called.

A figure appeared out of the dark shadows in the sunset. He wore a trench coat and a hat that covered most of his face. But when he removed the hat, you could see a mess of navy hair spiking out.

"It's about time." He huffed. "I've been waiting for ages."

"Well the moment's here, the others should be coming right about…now." Laura looked at her gold watch.

"Lucy? Happy! Fly us up there!" A voice called from below.

Soon enough, a head of violet hair and a flying blue cat arose.

"Happy?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lizzy?!" Damon gawked.

"Fish girl!" Happy squealed with delight. "You lied, there wasn't any fish here!"

"I told you it was in the eas- wait, _LUCE?!_" A male voice sounded from far away.

"Is that…Natsu? Sting?" Lucy squinted.

"Total rip off! The ice cream wasn't even that good!" A female scoffed followed by a grunt.

"Well that's obviously Ash." Lucy muttered. "All that's left is…"

"The Cheesecake Factory, why have I not heard of it before?!" A dominating voice boomed.

"And now for the real fun to start." Laura smirked and grabbed Lucy's wrist, yanking her to the very edge, almost falling off completely. "Nobody move! Or else blondie is going for a little swim."

* * *

**I've always wanted to say something like 'Nobody move! Or else…'**

**Review! Because it's nice to get some feedback every once in a while. True or False? Astrid is one year older than Lucy. If False, state the correct answer. (What is this, school?!)**

**Bye!~**


	62. Plan Unravlled

**False, Astrid is ten months older than Lucy. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

The girl who had grabbed Lucy had an innocent appearance. Long pink hair and wide candy blue eyes. She wore a loose crème cardigan and pink leggings. She wore two blue bows that held up her pigtails and yellow flats with little sunflowers on each one.

But it was now pretty obvious that she wasn't innocent, at all.

"I don't care if you're a teenage girl," Natsu stepped forward. "If you don't let Luce go, I'm going to have to pull an Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon."

"You go ahead and do that," Laura chuckled. "That is, if you can."

"I've set up cancellation lacrima's within a mile radius," Andrew explained when Natsu frowned in confusion. "The only way to get rid of them is to destroy them."

"We'll then I'll just-" Gray commented.

"And if you move more than ten feet away from these cliffs then Lucy…I think you know know the rest from there." He nodded. "Then there's also this remote." He held up a black rectangular object. "If you press the off button, they go off. But that won't be possible since…" he tossed it off the cliff.

"But…" Happy thought aloud. "I could fly earlier!"

"That's a little defect of the cancellation lacrima's, you were born with it." Laura glared. "This is why I gave you the fish with the nullification powder; it should have taken affect just about now."

"Aye…" Happy mourned. "I can't use my area magic."

"What's your motive?" I asked her.

"Huh? My motive? If I tell you that, and then I'll have to tell you my life story. And if I do that, it will give you enough time to make an escape, and the boss won't be too happy to hear that now would he?" Laura sighed. "But I guess there isn't really any way you could escape without blondie taking a dive so there's no harm in telling you."

I'm not sure if this girl knows Lucy can breathe underwater. Me and Liz shared a quick glance and I sent her a look. Then we both agreed not to tell anyone with just a nod of our heads, after all, if we said anything then our existence as dragon slayers in training will be exposed.

"Is this going to take a long time, because I have places to go, people to see." I sighed.

"What people do you and Lucy have to see?" Sting asked caustiosly, Rogue and Natsu listening intently.

"My god," I sweat dropped. "It's a figure of speech; you Dragon Slayers get jealous a lot don't you?"

"I told you," Natsu argued. "I'm not jello!"

"It all started," Laura began, ignoring our little argument. "When I was little, I can't really remember how old…but I grew up in an orphanage."

Liz's ears perked up in interest.

"It was crowded in there. I had grown up alone when my parents died of an unknown disease…so I ran away from the horrible foster home. Then I was found by a guild, it was a dark one, but I didn't know that at the time. They had an orphanage and I stayed there for a few years, Andrew was there too." She nodded towards the guy just about the same age as us. "But when he turned eighteen, I don't know where he went," she paused. "When everyone turned eighteen they disappeared…somewhere. And I wanted to find out."

Lucy tried to wriggle free from the young girl's grasp but Laura gripped tighter. The guy, Andrew, walked up to block the two girls off from the rest of us while Natsu and Sting glared at him.

"I escaped one day, the door was unlocked so I just left. But then the boss found me." Laura noted. "He ran the dark guild orphanages all across Fiore. He took me in, and I eventually found out that Andrew was with him as well at one of his private bases."

"Military?" Damon asked.

"Not really, the boss has…missions for us to do. Sort of like job requests, but less fighting." Laura explained. "We were paired up as a team and we've been working with each other ever since." Laura finished.

"But what does any of this have to do with Lucy?" Damon chucked a tac tic at Andrew, who swiftly dodged it and glared as more tac tics came.

"Lucy really didn't have anything to do with this, she was just a bonus." Laura shrugged.

"Bonus?" I raised a brow when I saw Sting and Rogue tense suspiciously. "Then what was the prize?"

_"You."_ Laura and Andrew said in union.

"Damn Uncle," I muttered. "Let me guess, het sent you two to come and stalk and then capture me and Lucy too if you could manage."

"Pretty much." Laura nodded.

"You said you do missions…" Liz trailed off. "What missions exactly?"

"Assassinations are of higher levels, but we're only at the basics. We were currently on a case for who trashed the Satan's Belly, but it was postponed." Laura stated. "But we we're getting close; it may have been a group of teens back then. They could be about your age now."

"Why do you do this for him anyways?" Erza questioned.

"Well, Titania," Laura smirked. "He's been like a father to me, when I lived in that private base, I was fed gourmet meals and provided with anything and everything I needed, and it was all because of him. This is just my way of saying thanks."

I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing. "F-Father figure?! As if!"

"Shut up." Laura was expressionless. "Or she dies."

"Go ahead." I said while wiping my tears. It's not like anything would happen.

"Astrid!" Rogue gasped in horror along with a mortified bunch behind me, other that Liz that is.

"You would do that? To your own cousin?" Laura scoffed. "I pity you, you have a family, yet you would just throw them away like trash. I can't see why the boss what want a piece of filth like you."

"You don't know anything about her." Rogue objected, which I thought was sweet, but unnecessary. I could handle insults from a rebellious teen.

"Let's make a deal," I suggested. "You let Lucy go and you won't be killed by the likes of me or those two angry Dragon Slayers over there, whichever comes first."

"How about…no." Laura stood her ground.

**_~Natsu's POV~_**

"Stubborn girl," I growled. "Let Luce go now! Or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Andrew chuckled. "There are over a hundred cancellation lacrima's hidden in a circle within a mile from us preventing you from using any magic whatsoever."

I grit my teeth in frustration. Astrid was a backstabber and a liar, Liz too. She didn't say anything when Astrid casually allowed Luce to just…die. I never liked Astrid, and that Liz could be a brat sometimes. They argued a lot, but what if they were actually working together? What if they were out to get Lucy? That would explain a lot of things.

Sting and I exchanged hateful glances, I could tell we were both thinking the same thing, they were traitors. Rogue, however, looked mortified. It was pretty clear to everyone but Astrid that he had a thing for her. But just hearing her say 'Go ahead' and still laughing must have broken something inside him.

But Derek, or was it Daniel? Whatever his name his looked just as shocked as Erza and Gray, maybe he wasn't in on it. But these guys were pretty good actors, after all, they had lived with Luce for these past three years. Or he may just be planning to steal Lucy away from me…

**_~Erza's POV~_**

Well this is a sudden turn of events. How could earning jewels by teaching kids how to swim turn into a situation such as this? If I could use my Heaven's Wheel armor and get my hundred swords to destroy the cancellation lacrima's all out once everything would be fine. But the lacrima's were, hidden, and there was no chance of using magic in this condition, especially with Lucy like this. If only I had come here sooner…

**_~Gray's POV~_**

What have gotten ourselves into? If Juvia were here then she could use her water magic to- no! Stop thinking about Juvia!

**_~Happy's POV~_**

This was all my fault…I f I hadn't eaten the fish then I could go and take Lushee away from the cliff and she would be safe.

"Well if you aren't going to turn yourself in-" Fish girl started to say.

"Turn myself in?" Ashtwid scoffed. "It's not like I'm going to jail."

"Perhaps not…" Laura muttered. "But you clearly aren't going to give yourself up so," she faced Lushee. "I guess this is goodbye."

And Lushee was pushed off of the Griff Cliffs into the dark deadly and endless water below.

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy went down, she went down screaming. I looked over at the rest, they were all frozen in their spots, excluding Liz, not believing their eyes. Natsu was the worst in my opinion. But there's no need to fret, she'll be fine. When she resurfaces, I'll make up a good excuse that caused her survival and- and flash of blue crossed my vision. I saw the cat, Happy, run over to the edge of the cliff.

"Lushee!" He shouted, tears falling behind him.

He was going to jump. That idiotic cat was going to jump, even though he knew his area magic won't work. This would kill him. His cry for the blonde snapped everyone out of the shocked trance. Natsu started to make a grab for his partner, but Happy was too far away. I, however, was close enough to grab the little fur ball if I really tried.

I sprinted forward, determined to keep the cat alive, I don't even know why I cared enough. I was close enough to grab him. He had already jumped up into the air, but if I could reach out just a bit…

"Gotcha!" I grabbed ahold of the furry tail, but then it was followed by a horrified shout.

"Astrid!"

I may have gone a little too far. Instead of landing on the ground, I too, was falling. And I couldn't use my air magic. I heard the loud splash when Lucy had made impact with the cold water. I clutched the whimpering Exceed close to me and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for impact.

3…2…1…

* * *

**Oh, hi there, I was too busy laughing madly to notice your angry and shocked faces when you read that last bit. Ah, I put the slightest amount of Gruvia in there!**

**Review! Nice meaningful reviews get a sneak peak, I swear. Do you guys like this whole trivia thing I'm doing? Just wondering….what was the name of the book Lucy was reading while in Clementine?**

**Bye!~**


	63. Blame

**She was reading was reading Death Note! Which I do not own, some of you guessed Moby Dick though, but that was in Cremer :3 I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Kensuke Waters~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Ow.

That hurt.

A lot.

Those were the words that went through my mind a split second after I had made impact. Sure, I heard the shouts for Lucy, Happy, and myself. But it wasn't any significance compared to the loud…splash? Or was it more of a roar of water? More of a smack actually, no that's what it felt like…

My whole body stung with pain as I plunged into the water below. I plummeted far, I don't know how far, but I was focusing on holding my breath, despite my need for air, and holding on to the cat. After about fifteen seconds or so, I felt an…energy, flow into me.

I was confused at first, but then I got it. I was a mile underwater, far enough for those stupid cancellation lacrimas to lose their mojo. I concentrated, I've never tried to do this before, but I imagined all the little air and gas particles to materialize. Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Helium and others. **(A/N You see, we were talking about what gases make up air in science today, and I just had to include those elements in there.)**

The first this I did was form an air bubble just big enough for the cat, Happy. Then I let go of him and floated upwards. The cat was unconscious, but by the time he reached the surface he should have probably awoken already.

Now I focused on my breathing. It was hard. Drawing all these particles and elements together out of water for god's sake drained out a lot of my magical power, especially since I just got it back. But eventually, I managed, it was hard to breathe down here but I managed to take slow deep breaths.

"ASTRID!" A muffled voice shouted.

Breathing, I could do. But talking underwater? Way too much for me. So I just simply waved that the fact that we just survived the lethal dive was no big deal.

"I CAN BREATHE UNDERWATER!" Lucy stated the obvious. "AND…AND I CAN TALK TOO!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms as if to say "No duh, Luce."

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" She yanked me into a hug and squeezed me tightly.

I pushed her away immediately because it was hard enough for me to breathe, I don't need any bear hugs or else that would kill me. Heh, death by hugs…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE NOT DEAD!" She squealed.

I nodded in response.

"CAN WE BREATHE BECAUSE OF OUR POWERS?! I DIDN'T KNOW CELESTIAL MAGIC ALLOWED YOU TO BREATHEUNDERWATER! COME TO THINK OF IT…WHAT IS YOUR POWER?" She asked.

I rubbed my ears and backed, er, swam away. My god, can she stop yelling already?

"BUT IF WE CAN USE MAGIC THEN WE MUST BE A MILE UNDERWATER!" She exclaimed. "SHOULDN'T THE PRESSURE HAVE KILLED US?!"

I shrugged.

"Then again…" She quieted down. "WE HAVE MAGIC IN THIS WORLD SO THINGS LIKE PRESSURE WON'T MATTER!"

I groaned.

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

Lucy went down, everyone was in shock. Happy shouted and snapped everyone back into reality. Then Happy jumped, along with Astrid. Lucy's fine, but Astrid? And the cat? Oh no, what has the world come to? I'm actually worrying about Astrid!

The sun had just set and everyone, even Laura and Andrew ran over to the edge and peered down. You could see a little speck of yellow before it was engulfed into the dark blue water and a dark blob with a flash of blue that too, disappeared.

"ASTRID!" Rogue cried again.

"LUCY!" Natsu and Sting shouted in agony.

"L-Lucy…" Gray mumbled, still in shock.

Erza clenched her fist until her knuckled turned white, her nails dug into the palm of her hand, drawing blood. I could smell the sharp metallic scent of it which really freaked me out, were my Dragon Slayer inhuman senses finally kicking in?

"HAPPY!" Natsu was on the verge of tears, no, he was crying.

They all were, except for Andrew, Laura and I.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Laura grit her teeth.

"The boss isn't going to like this." Andrew muttered.

Natsu angrily turned around and socked Andrew in the jaw.

"Your _boss?_!" The flamehead hissed. "You just watched two people plus my partner fall off a cliff and you're worried about your _boss?_ You should be worrying about what I'm going to do to you, magic or not."

Ok, I know Lucy survived and Astrid…Astrid always makes it out alive, no matter what the situation, I hope. So there shouldn't be any reason for a fight, and a bloody one at that.

"Natsu, stop it." I stepped between the two.

"And _you_!" Sting turned on me.

I back away. "Um, yeah?"

"You probably planned this whole thing!" He accused me. "You _and_ Astrid!"

I don't know what bewildered me more. The fact that everyone was nodding their head in agreement, except for Damon, who was just as confused as I was. Or the fact that they thought that I would have the patience to work with Astrid.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" I quivered at the numerous glares sent my way.

"You _wanted_ Lucy to jump of that cliff." Gray summarized. "Or to sell her off to Astrid's uncle."

"But what I don't get is," Erza paused. "Why go through all the trouble, why forge a friendship that was never there?"

"We're not friends! Lucy is my _nakama_! My family!" I argued.

"But then why would Astrid tell Laura to just let Lucy fall?" Natsu interrogated. "And how come you were the only one who didn't look shocked when she said those words? _Maybe_ because you were expecting it!"

"No! I-" I tried to protest.

"Then why?" Rogue asked. "Why did Astrid let Lucy fall like that?"

"_Because…_" I couldn't tell them about Silvia. "Because…"

"See? You're probably just thinking up an excuse." Sting spat. "We don't even know your true power! Do you shapeshift like your brother? Can you teleport like Astrid? And why the hell are you always eating plants?!"

"I…I can't tell you!" I sniffed, tears brimming my eyes.

"She looks like an interesting subject." I heard Laura mutter.

"Do you think the boss would want her?" Andrew whispered.

"Stop!" I screamed, tears falling. "What is wrong with you people?! I'm normal! I'm a mage! I'm just like all of you!"

"Look!" Gray whispered and pointed at the dirt beside me.

A patch of flowers grew where my tears had fallen, more of them this time. Bright yellow marigolds, the same color as Lucy's hair. The thought just made me cry harder. I was crying, in front of a bunch of people. And I hated it. I just wanted to disappear. But I couldn't.

I took a deep breath and scowled. Screw these mages, blaming me for everything. I sucked in a deep breath, knowing she was around here…somewhere. And a bunch of stupid lacrimas won't stop her.

"SILVIA!" I hollered.

* * *

**_~Kensuke Waters~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

After a few more minutes of Lucy shouting and Astrid nodding, they agreed that they should both swim up to the surface because Astrid couldn't breathe underwater forever without her magical power running out and to tell the others that they weren't dead.

"I see the surface!" Lucy gasped, no longer shouting. "But why is it dark out?"

They broke out of the water and Astrid drew in a deep breath.

"Air up here is so much better that what I was breathing down there." Astrid took another breath. "But why is it dark? I can see the moon."

"That's what I said." Lucy mumbled. "And where did the Griff Cliffs go?"

There was water, everywhere. Not a speck of land in sight. Just water covered by a heavy fog and the sky above them.

"No idea." Astrid muttered. "But I think I know where we are."

"Where?" Lucy looked up at the moon hidden behind all the mysterious fog.

"I've heard rumors that there was something like this around her, something called the Medusa Pentagon. Whoever enters these waters is never seen again, they just…disappear." Astrid grit her teeth. "Worst vacation ever." **(A/N like the Bermuda Triangle)**

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"SILVIA!" Liz hollered.

Natsu blinked in surprise, wasn't Silvia the name of her mother? Why would she call her mom, especially since she wasn't even here?

"Silvia!" Liz said, quieter this time.

"Why are you saying that?" Gray asked. "What are you planning now?"

"Silv- mph!" A hand was cupped over Liz's mouth, it was Andrew.

"You guys wouldn't mind if we took her instead right?" He smirked. "You obviously aren't on the same side."

"Lizzy!" Damon made a grab for his little sister but was kicked in the gut by a snickering Laura.

"You can take her." Sting scowled. "She's a murderer, the cause of Lucy's death."

Liz was enraged, she attempt to bite Andrew's hand, but he was wearing a thick leather glove. But then he suddenly jerked back and let go.

"Ow!" He yelped. "What the-?"

A green tokabi had clamped its jaws on Andrew's neck. He managed to pry the thing off, but more were coming.

"Shit." Andrew muttered. "Laura! Let's move out!"

The two partners quickly fled the scene, where more tokabi where scuttling into.

"Silvia!" Liz's face brightened up. "Something horrible happened! We were in Suza and then Astrid and Lucy got captured because of Sting and Rogue and then Damon and Lucy's memories were erased, Astrid's too, but she got hers back. But we came here because we needed to get Astrid and Lucy's weapons back but then these two people came and tried to push Lucy off a cliff. This thing is, they succeeded and Astrid fell too and everyone's blaming me and I don't know what to do and…" I rambled on.

"Wait." String interrupted me. "This is Silvia?"

He snickered. "You're little lizard friends going to save you?"

The tokabi hissed in response and jumped to bite Sting's teasing fingers. Then they all scuttled back to Liz.

"Wait!" Sting growled and tried to grab one.

But then hundreds more came flooding through and piled up on top of each other, it was weird. Their scales and skin would molt in with each other and by the time the gross process was done there was a…

"Wyvern?!" Sting and Team Natsu stumbled back in surprise.

"Just get me out of here." Liz mumbled once she had climbed onto the back of the creature and hugged it tightly. "I never want to go on another vacation ever again."

* * *

**It's not like I wanted Liz to cry, I never even meant for Silvia to come in the first place. But now this just makes the story a little bit more interesting!**

**Review! I really appreciate all of you who take the time to read, and actually write a review that says really good (or bad) things about Finding Nakama. It lets me know that the time I'm supposed to be doing my homework, but working on this instead, was worth the effort. What do you think is going to happen next?**

**Bye!~**


	64. The Cat Survives

**I was the queen of procrastination over the weekend. I didn't do my homework, chores, or update and on Friday I sprained my ankle in gym. Then I took a thirteen hour nap. Yeah, I nap longer than I actually sleep. Then I had to go to a birthday party… I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~The Sky~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I wiped away any leftover tears and sniffled. Silvia stayed silent the whole time, which I was grateful for. It wasn't like she could talk though since she wasn't in her true dragon form, so maybe she did want to talk. But she didn't even grunt or anything so I was guessing not. What if she was just sorting things out in her head and was just thinking really hard? Or I could just be overthinking things an- oh look, land.

"Silvia," I pointed off. "Can we land there?"

She bobbed her head in a nod slightly and sped off in that direction. When we landed, she immediately dispersed into the like tokabi. They all either scuttled into a bush or simply melted in with the earth, which weirded me out every time I saw that. But one stayed behind and gave me a questionable look.

"I'm just going to stay here for the rest of my 'vacation' I need a little alone time. Lucy and Astrid are going to be fine, it's a no brainer." I scoffed. "I'll find money to use eventually, no worries."

With another flick of its tail, the last tokabi scurried off into a patch of clovers and I took a deep breath. My stomach growled, I hadn't eaten since the ice cream at nine in the morning. I guess I could use a good parfait.

I dug in my back pocket and pulled out a handful of jewels. Yes, I still had some money because I'm not a fool to go walking around broke; I just kept it a secret. This was just for emergencies, in a way this could be an emergency.

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"So…" Gray looked at where Liz and the wyvern had disappeared off to. "What just happened?"

"She just left." Sting blinked.

"On a wyvern." Erza mumbled.

"That appeared out of lizards?" Damon summed it up.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"HAPPY?!" Natsu exclaimed at the cat flying above.

"Natsuuuuu!" Happy flew into his arms. "I was so scared!"

"Hey!" Damon gaped. "It's the cat!"

"Happy?!" Gray exclaimed. "How…how are you still…"

"Alive?" Happy finished the sentence. "I don't know! I just woke up, floating in the water. Then I see a huge green wyvern take off from the cliff, so I flew over here to see what was happening."

"Has the nullification powder already worn off?" Erza questioned. "You can fly now."

"Aye!" Happy barrel rolled. "Where's Lizzy?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably and Natsu was the one who finally spoke up.

"That green wyvern you saw, it…took her." He stated.

"Ehhh?!" Happy almost forgot to flap. "Like a kidnapping?"

"No," Erza shook her head. "There was a…argument so then she called the wyvern to pick her up."

"Cool!" Happy grinned. "A wyvern pet!"

"But what about Luce?!" Natsu asked.

"And Astrid." Rogue mumbled.

"I don't know…" Happy looked down into the water. "But for some reason I didn't drown and was separated from the two."

"Maybe it was a sea monster!" Damon gasped.

"I don't think so." Sting sweat dropped.

"Taking that dive must have plunged them far, over a mile at least." Erza calculated.

"And the lacrima's magic wears off after a mile." Rogue mumbled.

"Maybe Luce summoned Loke and got out of there!" Natsu shouted excitedly.

"Aye! But Loke's key is in my backpack." Happy took out the golden item. "Because Lushee had no pockets to keep it in."

"Then maybe Astrid…" Damon suggested.

"But what is her magic exactly?" Sting brought up. "We know she can teleport and use daggers, but what magic could she have used to save Happy?"

"Maybe it was Lucy who saved Happy." Gray commented.

"But with that memory loss of hers, there's no way of telling it was her." Erza reminded them.

"What if it had something to do with that wyvern…" Natsu thought hard. "Silvia."

"I've been meaning to ask." Happy landed on Natsu's head. "What was the argument about?"

"We were suspecting that Liz and Astrid were traitors," Erza said shamefully. "But now that I think of it, why would Astrid save you if she were against us? Why risk her own life?"

A silence fell upon everyone as they thought about what they had done. Damon and Happy confused while the others were silently blaming themselves for this mess.

"But," Natsu started. "At least there's still a chance, that Luce is still alive."

"And that's good enough for us." Sting finished. "We won't stop looking until we find them."

* * *

**_~Medusa Pentagon~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Okay, first I get kidnapped then I lose my memory. Only to get it back and have Lucy held hostage, but to make things worse she falls off a cliff and so do I. But that is nothing compared to getting stuck in the Medusa Pentagon. I could always call Silvia; after all, she was the one who saved us from the time continuum forest. But I can't rely on an overgrown lizard my whole life so I'm just going to be stubborn and do things the hard way.

"Hey Lucy." I gazed at the night sky.

"Yeah?" She twirled her finger in the icy water.

"Do you have that key for the tiger? What was his name? Liam? Louis?"

"It was a lion I think." Lucy corrected me. "And his name was Loke."

"Oh, well do you have it or not?" I sighed.

"Nope." She shook her head. "I have no pockets so I had Happy carry it for me in his backpack."

"Damn cat." I muttered.

* * *

**_~Dashner~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I had stopped by a quaint little ice cream shop big enough to fit no more that fifteen people in. Dasher was pretty small, with a population of only about five hundred people give or take, but the majority of these citizens were mages.

Licking off the leftover stickiness from my chocolate parfait, I sighed. It was getting really dark now, I should go find a place to crash for the night. I roamed the streets aimlessly while scanning for cheap hotels.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

I had accidentally bumped into a guy with blue hair. But instead of just walking past me without saying a word as expected he turned around and looked at me.

"Wait." He said.

"Whoa, nice ink." I praised him.

He had a cool red tattoo over his right eye. Then I teleported back to the street where the ice cream store was because he was starting to freak me out a little.

"Back for more?" The waitress with pink hair asked when I walked in. "Let me guess…chocolate parfait?"

"Meredy!" The woman from behind the counter hissed. "You aren't supposed to pick for the customers."

"But this job request is so boring!" Meredy whined.

"Ice cream isn't boring." I snorted.

"When you're serving it it is." Meredy pointed out. "Ultear when are we done?"

"I told you already, eleven." The dark haired woman responded. "So are you here for more ice cream or not?"

"Uh no I was just looking for a place to st-" I saw the guy from earlier across the street, looking at me through the glass window. "I've got to go."

And I blinked out.

* * *

_**~Medusa Pentagon~**_

_**~Astrid's POV~**_

"Oh look," Lucy pointed in the distance. "A storm is coming."

"Just what I needed." I mumbled.

"You said you could teleport before, why not now?" Lucy asked.

"Treading and swimming around in water tired me out, I can't really use it now. And I wouldn't just leave you here alone." I scoffed.

"That's good to know." Lucy smiled. "Are there any monsters or serpents in the Medusa Pentagon?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Why?"

"Well, there was this scaly tail thing I saw flick out of the water just now." She mentioned.

"Don't be ridicu-" Something scaly brushed up against my leg. "Well now we have a problem."

* * *

**Somebody help me I have brain freeze!**

***graduation music playing* Thank you, thank you very much. I have finally finished this chapter even through the rough writers block and I would appreciate reviews!**

**But seriously, review! Fun fact, Elizabeth's birthday is on March 14****th**** (Pi Day, and my dog's birthday)**

**Bye! ~**


	65. Encounter

**I woke up this morning realizing how long Finding Nakama really is, when will this end? The world may never know. My god, 900 reviews, I thank you all! I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Dashner~_**

**_~Jellal's POV~_**

That girl, the one with the purple hair, she wasn't normal. I could sense a power similar from Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and the others. Could she have been a Dragon Slayer? But I also sensed that she had other abilities. Why was she all alone? Could she be an orphan?

These thoughts ran through my mind when I glanced in the ice cream store to check up on Meredy and Ultear. But then my eyes caught the vibrant flash of purple and she noticed me watching her as well. Then without a word, she just…vanished.

I lightly jogged over to the small store and opened the glass door. Ultear and Meredy stared confusingly where the girl had once been and turned their heads when they noticed me walk in.

"Who was she?" Ultear asked.

"I don't know, but teleportation…" I trailed off.

"Is a lost magic." Meredy finished.

"But who is she? To possess that power?" Ultear frowned.

"What we should be worrying about is what is she doing with that power, we can't let someone like her fall into the hands of evil." I muttered.

* * *

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

Those people are kind of weird, I sighed. No luck in finding a place to stay. All of these places were either too expensive or rundown. Maybe I could just teleport back to our old apartment in Clementine, but it was probably already occupied.

"Hey there little girl." A woman dressed in dark clothing stepped out of the shadows.

"Whoa," I flinched. "You remind me of someone."

"Oh really?" She sneered.

"Yeah, this one Dragon Slayer guy." I nodded.

"Dragon Slayer acquaintances?" She snickered. "I sense that you hold quite a power yourself."

"How do people do that?!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Team Natsu can sense powers so can the Sabers! Even Lucy and Astrid! But how can one sense magical power?"

"I can show you." The woman smirked. "Come with me."

She stretched out an open hand, like how evil villains do. Wait, evil villain. Dark clothes, hidden in the shadows, mysterious aura. Yep, I've watched and read enough situations like these to know that she was obviously an evil villain.

"Eh," I shrugged. "No thanks, I'll learn eventually."

"I don't think so." She sneered.

I was then magically stuck in a crude crystal box. No, it was harder that crystal.

"Diamond Concealment." The woman said. "One of my most powerful attacks."

"Diamond?" I scoffed.

Then, with my weird Dragon Slayer ability to eat basically anything from the earth, I took a chunk out of the prison and ate it, it sounded like I was eating extra crunchy chips.

"Wha-?" She stumbled back.

"Ugh!" I spit the diamond out. "This is awful! It's stale…"

"Impossible!" She denied. "My powers extract the richest minerals from places like diamond mines."

"You serious?" I looked at her. "I'm eating a freaking diamond here, and you're more concerned that I don't like the taste?"

"If you would just come with me," A wall of metal surrounded both me and her now. "I wouldn't have to do this the hard way."

"Ooh, is that titanium?" I guessed. "My favorite."

"Damn kids these days, never listening to their elders…" The woman hissed.

"How old are you anyways?" I asked. "Forty…fifty centuries old?"

"Why you…" She started enchanting something but I was done with her.

"So, is this what you normally do?" I teleported out of the crude prison and whispered in her ear. "Corner poor children who are all alone to whatever evil guild you belong in?"

"You're all alone aren't you?" She spat. "There must be some reason you aren't with your little Dragon Slayer friends."

She had a point, I faltered. And she took her chance to run. I watched her go, I sighed again.

"Hey you!" A female voice called.

I turned my head and saw the girl with pink hair, Meredy running up to me. I was about to wave back when I saw who was behind her. The dark haired woman, Ultear I think her name was. And there was also the blue haired man with the red tattoo. What is up with all of these weird hair colors? I know mine is purple but still, blue? Pink was pretty weird too, especially for Natsu…

I took a step back. Man, what was up with these people in Dashner? First the stalker guy with the blue hair and then a creepy lady who wanted to use me for my powers. But I can't blame either of them, I'm just that awesome.

I guess there really wasn't a point in running away this time. I didn't really feel like teleporting long distances at the moment and these people didn't seem like much of a threat. Had they seen me what I had eaten the diamond though? I know that they know I can teleport, but teleporting is easy, no big deal. Oh wait, it's a lost magic…

"Hi…" I waved awkwardly as they approached. "Meredy, right? I'm Elizabeth."

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"So…" Damon trailed off. "How are we supposed to find them?"

"If Juvia was here, then none of this would have happened." Gray mumbled.

"But with these lacrima's Juvia wouldn't have been able to use her magic." Natsu reminded him.

"No flamebrain, Juvia is always talking about how she is the water, a part of it." Gray shook his head. "So the lacrima's wouldn't have had any effect on her."

"Who is Juvia and why does the stripper keep talking about her?" Sting sighed.

"He liiiiiikes her." Happy giggled.

"Shut up cat." Gray growled. "I do not."

"I think we should be focusing on the bigger problem here." Erza interrupted. "We'll deal with Lucy and Astrid first; Liz isn't a concern at the moment. How are we supposed to find the two?"

"We could swim." Sting suggested.

"All the way out there?" Damon groaned.

"He's right, that would take too long." Natsu grunted.

"Maybe they swan off somewhere, reaching land?" Gray suggested.

"They could have teleported as well." Damon nodded.

"Lucy still has her memory loss," Rogue reminded. "And Astrid wouldn't have just left her like that."

"Or would she?" Sting muttered and got a hateful glare from the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

"Maybe we should find the cancellation lacrima's first!" Happy scanned the area from above. "That way we can use magic again!"

"Out of all of these ideas, Happy's is most reasonable." Erza agreed. "Natsu and Sting, you go west. Rogue and Damon can head north. Happy stay here and scan these waters for any lacrimas as well. I'm going to be searching in the south."

"Why do I have to be with Sting/Natsu?!" The two whined.

"And Rogue is scary…" Damon quivered.

"Aye! I don't want to be alone! What if fish girl comes back?" Happy said rather happily.

"Are you objecting to my decisions?" Erza asked darkly."

"Aye sir! I mean…no ma'am!" Natsu corrected himself. "Don't worry Luce, I'll come and get you soon enough."

* * *

**_~Medusa Pentagon~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy sneezed.

"Wow Lucy, someone's talking about you." I smirked. "You must be popular."

"Really? How can you tell?" She asked.

"Nevermind." I shook my head. "We have bigger things to worry about, like this serpent monster thing you saw and the incoming storm."

"What can we do about it though? We can't go against nature." Lucy pointed out.

"If only you had your memories." I sighed.

"What if w- kya!" Someone or some_thing_ yanked the blonde under.

"Lucy!" I tried to grab her but then I saw the vague shape of a…

"Damn it!" I swore. "Silvia, this is my vacation! You're not supposed to be here!"

I felt the water vibrate as she chuckled softly, which only angered me more. I could hear the faint screams of Lucy underwater. I couldn't really blame her; it was her first time seeing a wyvern after all.

"You can take Lucy wherever your going," I huffed. "But I'm staying here, I don't need the help of a- hey!"

Silvia had picked me up along with Lucy anyways.

"Help!" I tried to get off. "Abduction!"

But there was no way of me getting off the scaly back without dying, because we were already up in the air, Lucy was pretty freaked out by the whole thing.

"Damn dragon wyvern thing ruining my life." I muttered. "I would prefer to sleep in and have ice cream for lunch on a vacation like normal people but no~ I spend my days risking my life."

* * *

**A spider was crawling on my arm and I didn't even notice until now *shiver* I completely forgot about to poll, wow I got like…two more votes in the past week.**

**Review! I noticed that there were barely any reviews in the last chapter. Did you not like it? I f so, that what reviews are for, to tell the author if you liked it or not and why, my god I'm starting to sound like a language arts teacher...**

**Bye! ~**


	66. Memory Restored

**I think FanFiction has some kind of glitch, because sometimes the lines are all bunched up together if you know what I'm talking about. Procrastination, the definition of me. Sorry guys, school was just a pain this week. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Natsu and Sting~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The lacrima shattered to pieces.

This was their seventh one, each placed a good ten meters from each other. It felt good for the both of them to be able to use magic again, now they could fight with something other than their glares and insults.

"You think that was the last one?" Natsu scanned the area.

"Not sure," Sting shrugged. "They never told us how many."

"Hey look! I can sort of see Erza's hair in the distance, we're almost done." Natsu squinted.

"Well then what are you waiting for hothead? The quicker we get this done the less time I have to spend with you." Sting growled.

**_~Damon and Rogue~_**

Damon flinched.

Rouge had destroyed yet another lacrima with his Shadow Dragon Slayer magic. The shadow mage hadn't said a word, even when Damon had tried to communicate. The poor redhead had just gotten an evil glare that he knows all too well.

"So um…" He tried to start another conversation. "What's it like that guild you were in, Sabertooth?"

No comment.

"Cool." Damon coughed. "How did I know you before exactly? I know Lucy and Astrid had known you guys really well but I don't see how I would know any of you mages, other than Lizzy."

Rogue had hesitated and stopped walking at the name 'Astrid' but stiffly shook his head and moved on, looking for the next lacrima.

"Why Erza?" Damon muttered. "Why pair me up with him of all people?"

"Oh," Rogue talked. "So you're interested in Erza now?"

"Wh-What?!" Damon sputtered. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. First it was…Astrid." He said her name through clenched shut jaws. "Then Lucy, and now Erza? What are you, a player?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Damon denied. "And I don't even know what you mean by 'player' I have no memories, remember?"

"Oh sure," Rogue rolled his eyes. "I bet you were just faking it the whole time."

"Why would I do that?" Damon hissed. "Something childish like that."

"Because you are a child." Rogue shot back.

"We're just about the same age!" Damon protested.

"Doesn't seem like that. "Rogue muttered.

"Why do you Dragon Slayer guys hate me so much?!" Damon exclaimed. "It makes no sense! I didn't do anything!"

"And let's keep it that way." Rogue muttered before falling back into silence.

**_~Happy~_**

"Erza!~" The Exceed said to no one in particular. "There aren't any lacrimas in the water! Or fish!"

_'I wonder where fish girl went, I could use another one. Even though it had the nullification powder, it was still fish._' Happy's stomach groaned.

_'Why doesn't Carla like fish? Fish was…fish. Maybe she liked to play with yarn? I could get her some pink yarn for her birthday, to match her tail bow.'_ Happy lost himself, deep in thought.

Too bad for him that he didn't notice the small silvery fish darting about underneath him.

**_~Erza~_**

I sneezed.

Someone was talking about me. I requipped into my Heaven's Wheel Armor and annihilated the next half a dozen lacrimas I spotted from a distance.

If someone was talking about me, it better be something good.

* * *

**_~In the Air~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

I sat uncomfortably on the back of this…this thing. I have this feeling that I'm supposed to know what it was called but it wasn't ringing any bells.

Astrid angrily rambled off to this beast, Silvia, about why she shouldn't be here. And my god this girl is madly in love with ice cream, it's all she ever talks about, that and her ruin vacation. I don't see why she took the time to talk to the beast because it can't even talk back to her, probably can't even understand her.

But I'm pretty freaked out that this dragon thing is flying me to who knows where. But Astrid was here with me, and she's been here ever since the whole amnesia thing started so I guess I could trust her instinct.

I spotted a smudge of green and brown all the way out into the horizon. Astrid was too busy ranting to notice but the beast tilted her head in that way and begin to fly faster.

Where exactly was she taking us?

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Lucy was awfully quiet.

I noticed she was distracted, staring off into space. I followed her gaze and widened my eyes when I saw something that resembled heaven.

"_Land_!" I gasped and almost fell off of the blue wyvern. "Move faster!"

I sat on Silvia's scaly back cross legged and huffed impatiently. Tapping my nails on her scales, my face brightened with each flap of her majestic wings as we drew closer to land. Lucy could see my anticipation and giggled.

It only took thirty more second at full speed, for Silvia to reach the land. And as soon as she had begun to hover over the earthy surface, I jumped down. It was a six or seven story drop but eh, who cares? I simply lightly cushioned my fall since my air magic stuff was now working and had an urge to kiss the ground.

"Ok," I turned around to see Lucy carefully sliding off of Silvia and then the beastly wyvern trampling over small trees as she dashed away for some bizarre reason. "Now all we have to do is find some civilization."

"With no money?" Lucy pulled at her drenched clothes.

Mine were already dry, I used the air and wind back when we were still in the air and turned it into a blow-dryer like gust of wind.

"Here." I did the same to her.

"Whoa." Lucy examined her dry hair. "What is you magic exactly?"

"Ah," A woman stepped out of the trampled trees. "I've heard rumors of this amnesia and I'm afraid it's true."

"You were supposed to stay gone when you landed." I recognized the voice.

"Landed?" Lucy looked at the woman. "Wasn't that Silvia…? Oh my god."

Her long and slightly wavy, silvery white hair shone in the light as the sun rose. She wore a loose deep ocean blue dress reaching her feet that seemed to flow like a river as she walked. There was a light pattern that looked like mini silver fish scales, either that or diamonds. Where does she get these dresses?

"Yes," Silvia nodded. "The wyvern is I."

"You mean 'the wyvern was me'." I corrected her. "You still speak as if you were centuries years old."

"Because I am." Her have darkened.

"You are?!" Lucy gasped.

"Let's not confuse this poor girl any further." Silvia sighed.

"Yeah, you can go do your mojo dragon magic on her so she won't be so clueless all the time." I nodded in agreement.

Silvia flicked Lucy in the forehead, and it looked like it hurt. I winced.

"OW!" Lucy held the injured spot and fell to the ground. "What was that- oh."

"That's it?" I blinked in surprise. "You have your memories back don't you."

"Yep I don't know why I cou- oh _no_." Lucy paled.

"What is it that troubles you?" Silvia asked in concern.

"We have to get back to Cremer as soon as possible. Silvia, I know you have all the jewels in the world, so you can afford to buy my keys right?" Lucy asked in a hurry.

"Oooh," Something in my mind clicked. "I see what's going on. Yep, she's definitely going to kill you."

"Who is murdering whom now?" Silvia looked between us.

"Aquarius." We said at the same time.

"The mermaid celestial spirit?" Silvia asked. "But she is a kind and wonderful being; I can't see why she would be spiteful enough to commit such a sin."

"Maybe to you she's nice." Lucy scoffed. "But even though I have water abilities like her, she's still a devil to me."

"But we get along pretty well." I shrugged. "But first let's make a stop to the nearest city shall w- ow!"

"Not so fast young lady." Silvia growled.

She had grabbed my earlobe and was pulling be back towards the shore by force, Lucy barley following behind while laughing hysterically.

"Ow ow ow ow ow. Let go!" I tried to pry her fingers away.

"Now listen to me, a little bird told me that you were the whole cause of this mess." She let go and tapped her foot.

"Liz." I growled. "It wasn't my fault, It was my uncles."

"Yet, he is still a relative of yours. So you are responsible and you know what that means." Silvia led on.

"No! Please!" I begged her. "I'll be good, promise!"

"Oooooh," Lucy snickered. "Sucks to be you."

"Shut up!" I wailed.

"Now I'm going to fly you two back to Cremer, take care of your business there and then go to the Griff Cliffs immediately. I'll be waiting there." Silvia decided. "And Astrid, when this whole vacation is over, you will pay the price."

"But I don't want to!" I argued. "Why not just let this one slide, hm?"

"Not possible." Silvia didn't budge. "Now wait a moment, I'll be back to pick you girls up in a few moments."

And she left the way she came.

"This is so unfair!" I pouted. "Why me?!"

"Ha, there's no changing her mind Ash~" Lucy teased.

"Liz and her big mouth." I muttered. "Wait, how was she able to tell Silvia in the first place? Lst time I saw her was-"

"When we fell of those cliffs." Lucy finished. "Oh no, Natsu and Sting saw me fall…"

"Crap, Rogue and the others are probably worried sick." I cursed. "Me and Liz were playing it cool though. Sting and Natsu never like us, I could tell."

"Do you think that they could have…?" Lucy gasped.

"And then Liz probably…" I nodded solemnly. "Ugh, but that still doesn't mean she's off the hook. It's still her fault."

"Like I said before," Lucy chuckled. "There's no way for you to get out of it."

"I know, but still!" I grunted.

Then Silvia, in dragon form, appeared before us. I sighed heavily and climbed aboard.

* * *

**Me and my family were having a rather heated argument on who ate all of the fried rice, and I swear it was my sister. The little devil…**

**Is it hard to review? I've reviewed plenty of times in my fanfiction history but does it really take that much effort to click a button and type a few words? What do you guys think that Astrid is not going to look forward to after this is all over? Heh heh, it's going to be a typical Astrid kind of thing…**

**Bye! ~**


	67. Moonlea Auction House

**I learned how to draw Plue today. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Dashner~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, taking a deep breath, I looked around. Where the heck am I? A small twin sized bed, a lamp, wood flooring, pale walls, drawback curtains, and a 24x24 window decorated the room I was in.

"Oh yeah." I said aloud.

Now I remember…

**_*Flashback*_**

"_Elizabeth?" Meredy slowed. "I'm Meredy!"_

_"Don't go telling your name to a stranger!" Ultear hissed. "I'm Ultear."_

_"Hey!" Meredy gawked. "You just said-"_

_"And I'm Jellal." The blue hair man bowed._

_I tried my best to keep a straight face. This guy is Jellal? The one Erza was talking about? She obviously had something going on with the guy, but maybe the name 'Jellal' is just common in Fiore. This could just be a different guy with the same name, but I highly doubt that._

_"Cool." I smiled in a not so friendly way. "So…mind telling me why you've been following me?"_

_"I sensed some great magical power in you; it's faint, but still there." Jellal's face hardened in his seriousness._

_My eye twitched and I refrained a groan. Again with the sensing of magic power…_

_"Cool." I said again. "Welp, it was nice meeting you guys- hey!"_

_The woman, Ultear, had grabbed onto my wrist. But lucky for me, Astrid had grabbed my wrist plenty of times in death grips when she got angry. So I've had practice in getting out of these kinds of situations. I kicked her in the shin with the blade built into my pair of flats, Astrid's gift to me, and twisted out of her grip._

_"We're not going to hurt you or anything." Meredy scoffed._

_"Time Ark, heal." Ultear muttered and glared at me._

_"It's not every day you run into a Dragon Slayer." Jellal took a step closer._

_"What's a Dragon Slayer?" I played dumb. "Are they rare?"_

_"But of course, almost as rare as dragons themselves." Meredy winked, well isn't she the preppy type._

_Wait, had they seen what I had done? When the evil lady was here? It doesn't seem like it though, they had come running around the corner just as the woman had fled the scene._

_"Jellal," I wanted to change the subject. "How's you love life going?"_

_"What?" Good, I caught him off guard._

_"Yeah, don't you have a fiancé?" I coughed to hide the giggle that had escaped from my lips. "It must be one of these women, Meredy? Ultear?"_

_"The only person who knows about that is-"_

_"Erza?" I smirked._

_"Who are you?" His expression darkened. "And how do you know Erza?"_

_"Questions later," I yawned. "I need to sleep; do you guys have a place rented out?"_

_Eh, I was curious about these people as well and I didn't have a place to stay. So why not kill two birds with one stone?_

**_*Flashback End*_**

Yep, that's pretty much what happened. But I can't remember if that happened before or after Happy turned into a dog. Wait, I think that may have been a dream. A really weird dream indeed.

I slid out of bed and ninja walked across the small room. Creaking open the door, I discovered two doors identical to mine and a mini kitchen with a couch. I flicked my eyes over to the large steel door. As I was about the grab the handle to my freedom, I heard someone clear their throat.

"Oh, hi." I smiled nervously. "I was just uh…looking for some ice cream."

Damnit! Why did I say ice cream? I'm starting to act more and more like Astrid, it's scaring me. All three of them, Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy stood behind me fully dressed.

"We have that in the freezer." Meredy tapped her foot.

"I was in the mood for some chocolate parfait." Well, at least that wasn't a lie.

"We have some business to take care of first." Jellal gestured to the small couch.

"But of course." I dragged my feet and plopped myself on the sofa. "So what exactly, do you want to talk about?"

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Why are you still here?" I sighed.

"To make sure you don't go off and get distracted eating those tac tics that you love so much." Silvia sighed.

She had changed into a pair of white skinny jeans, a dark blue cardigan, navy moccasins, and she had tied her hair up into a messy bun. It was weird to see her like that; you'd think a dragon that old would have worn something like poufy dresses.

"I thought Damon had the tac tic addiction." Lucy frowned. "Unless you somehow got into them as well."

"No, I like ice cream." I shook my head. "I really don't see why you have to be here Silvia."

"Well at least I'm masking your true identities so your friends, even Damon, will not interfere with your task at the Moonlea Auction House." Silvia scoffed.

"Masking our identities?" I frowned. "I knew you could do that to yourself, but to us as well? What do I look like?"

"A thirteen year old." Silvia smirked.

"Now why," My eye twitched. "Would I look like that?"

"Maybe because you act like that sometimes~" Lucy teased.

"But Lucy is invisible." She announced.

"What?! Again?" Lucy groaned. "So are my clothes just floating around or something?"

I laughed, remembering the story she had told me when she had used a magical ointment and the effects were a little too strong.

"Your clothing too, is invisible. I could not bring myself to change your appearance." Silvia nodded.

"Oh," I snorted. "But for me it's okay."

"Yes, yes it is." Silvia grinned. "I believe this is the place?"

And she was right. We now stood in front of the grand marble pillars and steps of the Moonlea Auction House. There were many rich folk milling about, looking through their expensive and delicate spectacles. Counting off the jewels kept in their full coin purses with no modesty.

I grumbled at the spoiled teenagers using their smartlacrimas that costs over 1,000,000 jewels and hurriedly dashed up the steep steps. Once entered, it was no surprise that the style of the interior was even greater than the exterior. Tall, dome like ceilings decorated with angels carved into the fine marble. Shiny tiles of exquisite flooring with pillars that held priceless items and mystique paintings that decorated the walls.

"Well they're not trying to hide the fact that the keys are here." I pointed at the far end, to a stage.

"Rare gold and silver celestial keys starting at 500,000,000 jewels?!" Lucy read aloud.

"A reasonable price." Silvia nodded.

"Tch, 'reasonable'." I rolled my eyes and noticed a banner. "Daggers." It read. "Seriously, just 'Daggers'?"

"Starting price at 100,000 jewels." Silvia stated.

"Whatever, do you have the money?" I huffed.

"Here's about fifty million or so jewels, just in case." Silvia tossed me a heavy bag. "I'll wait by the entrance. Lucy, here's your 500,000,000J. You can take the items you need and then replace it with the money, I am not a dragon of crime."

"Fifty million." I muttered, walking towards the regal table lined with weapons. "How much money do you have?"

I shoved my way through the crowd and my eyes wandered until they found two familiar gold and silver daggers.

"200,000J on the gold and silver!" I placed my bid.

"200,000J on these fine and rare metallic daggers, going one, going twice, going three times…and sold to the brunette over in the right!" The bidder guy announced.

"Well that was easy." I smirked and handed him the money.

After reclaiming my belongings I milled around the table until my eyes caught the special hilt and sheathe of my air pressured dagger. My dark eyes sparkled with delight and I didn't hesitate to place my bid.

"100,000J on that beauty over there!" I grinned.

"And the brunette strikes back! 100,000J on this mysterious magical dagger! Going once! Going Twice!" He shouted.

I am so going to get this. Why don't I go to Auction houses more often?

"200,000J!" A male voice from deep within the crowd shouted.

A low growl escaped from my lips, I don't know who this guy think he is. But the dagger is mine.

"Oh, what do we have heeere?" He drew out the 'e'. "200,000J on the magic dagger! Going on-"

"300,000J!" I hissed.

"400,000J!" The mysterious bidder shouted back.

"500,000J!"

"600,000J!"

"700,000J!"

"1,000,000!" He jumped even higher.

I mentally thanked Silvia for giving me those fifty million, and silently cursed whoever was preventing me from reuniting with my weapons.

"50,000,000J!" I went all in.

Silence.

"Alrighty, 50,000,000J on the dagger. Going once!" The announcer cleared his throat.

Nothing.

"Going twice!"

Nada.

"Going three times!"

I smirked; there was no way anyone would match up with me now. Not unless they had all the money on Earthla-

"51,000,000J!" The sound was closer now.

And by closer I mean five feet away from me.

"Well that does it!" The announcer noticed how my face had pales. "Going once! Going twice! Going three times and sold! To this fine young man!"

My eye twitched as my dagger was thrown directly behind my head. I heard someone catch it. Then a large bag said over my head and landed in the arms of the announcer. Taking a deep breath, my eye twitched as I spun on my heel and refrained from socking whoever it was.

"Why hello there." A smooth voice greeted me.

I looked at his outstretched hand. He was my age, and wore a business suit, all formal and everything. Although he looked uncomfortable somehow, as if he didn't want to be here. His soft, golden-brown curls shone in the bright sunlight that streamed through the crystals. His icy blue eyes staring at my furious grey ones. He seems annoying.

I didn't take his hand. Instead, I eyed my dagger and then glared at him.

"You must really want this." He waved it in the air.

"What use do you have for it anyways?" I grumbled. "Your attire doesn't suit your taste in weaponry."

"I could be a collector; this would make a fine antique." He examined it closely.

"Too young." I shook my head.

"And are you some kind of expert on these types of things? Well I reckon you don't even have the jewels that you bid."

"I do too." I held up the bag. "And I just want what's mine."

"There is no proof that you are the owner of the dagger, and even if so, why is it in the auction house to begin with?" He chuckled.

"Check the bottom of the hilt." I sighed. "My name is engraved there."

"Elizabeth?" He looked up at me questionably.

"No, the other name." I rolled my eyes, remembering the time when Liz had sneakily stolen and engraved her own name onto it.

"Astrid." He said almost wistfully. "Astrid…Moonlea?"

I stiffened. "No."

"I am sure of it, you are the heir to the Moonlea Inc." He disagreed. "And plus I remember you, from when we were young."

"What?" I ran over all of my memories as a child. "I don't know you."

"C'mon Ash," he said in a different one, which sort of freaked me out. "It's me, Ryan."

* * *

**La la la~ Ryan, who is this Ryan? *giggles like Happy***

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**Bye!**


	68. Ryan Wentzel

**Why hello there, isn't it a fine Saturday night? Or Sunday morning, depends on your time zone I guess…but it's not nice over here at all. Raining on and off all of the time, Juvia must be getting emotional. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Moonlea Auction House~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Ryan…Ryan…nope, I can't remember any Ryans. But there was this guy at the ice cream store; his name tag said his name was Ryan. But that guy had green hair, he was weird. This Ryan didn't ring any bells and I did not like the way he called me Ash.

But if he were to remember me from whatever encounter we had, how is it that he noticed it was me? Didn't Silvia cast some spell on me do I look like some random thirteen year old? Or maybe the Astrid Moonlea that Ryan knows is thirteen, which I highly doubt.

I looked at my air dagger again with desire.

"Wow," Ryan chuckled. "You must really want this."

I glared. Of course I would want what's mine in the first place.

"You can have it," He tossed it over. "It's not like I would know how to use one."

I caught the hilt just in time in surprise. This dude just paid fifty-one million jewels; only to give it away to the person he was bidding against in the first place?

"Who are you?" I asked almost defensively.

"I told you, Ryan." He said again.

"How ca-" I was interrupted.

"Astrid!" Lucy ran over, keys jingling in her hand. "I got the- who is this?"

"Ryan." Ryan said for the third time.

"H-How can you see me?" Lucy gawked. "And hear me?"

That's right; Lucy was concealed with Silvia's magic as well. It was either wearing off, or Ryan is some type of-

"Mage." It's almost like he read my thoughts. "My power uses the truth against magic. To everyone else you may seem invisible or a small teen, but in my eyes and everyone else in my family's bloodline, I can see your true form."

"So…" Lucy thought. "If someone was lying to you, you'd be able to tell?"

"Not exactly," Ryan rushed on. "I would have a greater suspicion more than others, but I'm not some kind of mind reader."

"You said your name was Ryan?" Lucy confirmed. "As in Ryan…Wentzel?"

"You've heard of me?" He blinked.

"Yeah, Astrid mentioned you before." Lucy nodded.

"I what?!"

* * *

**_~Dashner~_**

**_~Elizabeth's POV~_**

"So what you're telling me is," I sat cross-legged on the small couch looking at the three. "That all of you were evil villains and became good all of a sudden, and now you run a three member guild called Crime Sorciere to amend your sins?"

"That's what he said." Meredy nodded.

"And you're having a long distance relationship with Erza." I smirked.

"No!" Jellal flushed. "I-Is that what she said?"

"What if I said yes?" I grinned.

"Enough!" Ultear interrupted. "We have no time for this, what is your story, why do you hold so much power?"

Am I really that powerful? Teleportation only comes in handy of you're running away or forget something because it also sucks out a lot of energy. I guess the earth and elemental stuff can be kind of cool. Shape shifting can be really fun at times, but that too, drains energy.

"Um," I paused. "I'm talented?"

"Wrong answer." Ultear glared.

"Uh," I thought. "Training?"

"With whom?" Jellal raised a brow. "What is the name of the dragon that taught you?"

"Silvia." I blurted.

"Don't lie," Ultear sneered. "What kind of mighty dragon has the name 'Silvia'?"

She had a point, but it's not my fault if they don't believe me.

"Say what you want, but I'm just telling you what I know." I shrugged.

"And what dragon is she?" Meredy piped up.

"The dragon of sweets." I grinned widely.

"Now 'Silvia' I will accept, but there is no time for such jokes as sweets." Jellal informed.

"Why do you need to know anyways?" I questioned. "Can't I just keep my abilities private? I will not give out any further information until my lawyer is present."

"You have a lawyer?" Meredy asked.

"Well," I laughed nervously. "Not exactly, but Astrid can be pretty demanding and convincing."

"And Astrid is?" Ultear interrogated.

"A friend, well, I wouldn't say 'friend'. She's too mean for that title, but I _have_ been living with her for about three years…" I calculated. "Eh, she's like an evil-ish older stepsister-ish who is obsessed with ice cream."

"Do you have any other companions?" The dark haired woman asked again.

"Well _yeah_, I can't stay sane with just Astrid for company," I scoffed. "But I don't see any reason why I should tell you anything else; I don't even know why I'm staying here for that matter."

I waved goodbye and teleported away, tired of all these questions. By the time I had gotten to Cremer, I realized just how much the teleportation took out of me. Remembering what life was like in a forest; I climbed up one of the local park's trees and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"I did?!" I stepped back in shock. "When?"

"You don't remember?" Lucy frowned. "I think it was about a year ago. Or two? I can't really remember."

"What did she say about me?" He asked a little too eagerly.

"Yeah, what _did_ I say about him?" I was curious.

"Something about ice cream, I think." Lucy murmured.

"Ah yes! We had ice cream fights!" He grinned.

"Ice cream fights?" I raised a brow.

I don't remember fighting with ice cream, although it sounds fun. Something I would do.

"Do you not remember?" Ryan looked worried. "Do you have a memory defect?"

"I had a suspicion." A voice from behind me made me jump. "When you had your memories recovered not all of them made it through."

"Then why didn't you say anything before fix-" Silvia tapped my forehead, and the memories flooded back.

"Y-You are…" Ryan's eyes widened when he saw Silvia.

"You can see my true form?" Silvia asked unimpressed.

"Y-You're a…" Ryan trailed off.

"Yeah yeah," Lucy waved her hand in front of his astonished face. "We all know Silvia is some magnificent being so let's just end it at that, shall we?"

"Ooh!" I snapped my fingers. "Ryan! I remember you now."

I can remember him now, just a bit though. His hair was curlier as a child but now it had a deep wave in it, we were good friends for most of our childhood. We both shared the same obsession with ice cream as well. His favorite was chocolate when mine was strawberry, we'd throw ice cream balls at each other and then the maids would always have to clean up. He visited almost every day, he was my best friend.

"You really are Astrid?" Ryan beamed. "I wasn't one hundred percent positive before, but you remember me?"

"Um, yeah…" I nodded.

Ryan let out a deep breath and then took me into his arms.

"Whoa there," I pushed him away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought you were dead, for ten years I thought you were dead." His eyes watered. "After I heard the news that your mansion was burnt to the ground I forced my mom to drive over. They found you dad, he was-"

"I know." I said sharply, not wanting to hear the details.

"But when you weren't found and they said that you were…" He choked on his own words. "I-I thought…"

Crap, that was a tear that just fell down. Did I make him cry? Lucy was looking at me with wide accusing eyes while Silvia shook her head and made 'tsk'-ing noises. How is this fault? He's not supposed to be crying, he's not some little kid anymore!

I looked around the room desperately for something to make him stop when I got the perfect idea.

"Do you want some ice cream? Chocolate is your favorite, right?" I offered.

Hey, it's a win-win. I was getting pretty ice cream deprived already so why not?

"I'm not supposed to." He calmed down a bit, wiping away the few saltwater droplets. "My aunt is the manager for this auction house. She wants me to stick around, learn how business works."

"Oh, I remember her." I shivered. "She always made me wear elaborate gowns when you guys came over."

"And you would always trip over the hem." Ryan joked.

"And ice cream would get all over it." I laughed.

"Then she would scold you and lock you in that closet." Ryan nodded.

"And she didn't even know that there was a mini freezer in the closet." I grinned. "With ice cream inside of course."

"Then I'd-"

"Okay." Lucy separated the both of us. "Are we done with this trip down memory lane?"

"Shut up." I shoved her to the side.

This meant she went stumbling ten meters away. I heard her grumble something before taking off like a rocket and I attempted to dodge her Lucy Kick. But my shoulder was hit and I skidded into one of the auctioning stands. A pile of hats tumbled onto me, I threw off the cowboy had that covered half my face and launched at Lucy, only to be grabbed my Silvia.

"Come on now," Silvia sighed. "We can't be causing a ruckus this early in the morning."

"It's almost noon." Ryan calculated.

"Time for ice cream." I nodded.

"Or a real lunch." Lucy suggested.

"Or we should be looking for your friends." Silvia said it as if it were an order.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea." I looked at my three daggers in satisfaction. "Thanks for my dagger, by the way."

"No problem." He shrugged.

"But you do know that if you didn't hand it over she would have torn your throat out." Lucy noted.

"I highly doubt that." He flashed a grin. "Tomorrow at seven, my aunt will be hosting a dinner party, be there."

He winked and then vanished into the crowd.

"Wait!" I called out, but he was already gone. "Dinner?"

"Heh heh." Lucy was laughing evilly with a dark aura surrounding her in the little corner she crouched in.

"What are you laughing at?" I tapped my foot.

"Oh nothing~" She said in a sickly sweet voice. "Let's go find _Rogue_ and the others before they do something stupid."

* * *

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

The mages all gathered two hours after they had made sure that the lacrimas were all destroyed, and sure enough, they could use magic.

"How are we going to find Lushee and Ashtwid?" Happy asked.

"Lizzy too, I don't know where that wyvern took her, or if it hadn't eaten her yet." Damon shivered.

"But she left from her own free will." Gray commented.

"Because all of you were blaming her for something she obviously didn't do." Damon growled.

"Oh look! There they are!" A bright and bubbly voice broke the tension.

"In the same spot we left them? Like statues…" Muttered another.

The seven mages swiveled their heads to see the loved blonde and the cold brunette along with a casually dressed woman with silky golden-brown hair that looked magical (which it was) in the sunlight.

* * *

**I accidentally ate all of the gummy bears; I don't think anyone will notice… I hope not, or else I'm not getting any ice cream tonight!**

**Review my little readers! First five to correctly add up the number of OC's gets to know who is winning in the poll, but the first reviewer to name all of them gets to know who is winning and a sneak peak. Yeah, I'm doing this trivia thing again because I get bored when there's nothing in my inbox.**

**Bye!~**


	69. Brain Freeze

**Imagine you're in the middle of a vast desert with no food or water. The scorching hot sand dunes tower above you and the sun beats down its harsh rays for an entire week. Now replace the food and water part with internet and Wi-Fi, and then switch out the towering sand dunes with homework. There you have it, my worst nightmare came true. Oh the horror…I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Griff Cliffs~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

They couldn't believe their eyes at first, Lucy and Astrid. The two came into a halt at the gaping group and frowned.

"Um, hello?" Lucy waved her arm, attempting to break the trance.

"Wow, they really _are_ statues." Astrid snickered.

"It's just a state of shock." Silvia corrected.

"Stop ruining all of the fun." Astrid grumbled and kicked the dirt.

_"L-Lucy_!" Natsu's throat was dry and he ran forward, along with Sting and the rest of team Natsu.

"Luuuusheeee!" Happy tackled her down.

"Astrid." Rogue let go a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You're alive."

"Of course I am," She smirked. "I'm invinci- _ow_!"

Silvia had whacked her on the head. "We have no time for reunions, it hasn't even been one week yet and this much trouble has been caused. We're going back to the-"

"No!" Lucy's head popped out of the dog pile. "Just one more day, please! Astrid still has to go to the-"

"_Ice cream store_!" Astrid quickly covered it up, sending a menacing glare towards a grinning Lucy. "I'm exhausted and I feel like having some ice cream."

"Enough with the ice cream." Erza ordered and faced Silvia; she could sense the massive power. "Who are you exactly and what are your magical abilities?"

"I do not believe you have the authority to demand such things, seeing what happened when you acted rashly to Elizabeth, an apology shall be announced." Silvia said a little too loud. "Right Liz?"

"Aw, Silvia!" The bushes shuffled and a violet head of hair popped out. "I was pretending to be a ninja, but you just _had_ to blow my cover didn't you?"

"I knew you were there too," Astrid commented. "_Someone_ yanked my hair just a while back and it only could have been you."

"Oh yeah," Liz stood and brushed the leaves off of the plaid skirt. "But it was still worth it."

"Wait a minute," Gray faltered. "Didn't you-"

"Fly off on the back of a giant wyvern into the distance? Yeah." Liz finished.

"But how are you-" Sting was cut off.

"Still here and spying on you guys for the past fifteen minutes?" Liz completed the sentence. "Magic."

"What magic?" Erza asked yet again.

"Apology please~" Liz said in a sickly sweet voice.

"We're sorry," Titania blurted. "We never meant to say those things."

"Lucy and Astrid, we thought they were dead and you were so calm." Sting put in.

"And we just jumped to conclusions." Natsu finished.

"Sorry." Gray and Rogue mumbled.

"And you better be." Liz grinned and crossed her arms in triumph. "As for my abilities, you guys are no better than the Crime Sorciere."

"Crime Sorciere?" Erza's ears perked up. "You mean Jella-"

"Tsk, no more questions." Silvia stepped in. "I will be taking these ladies into my custody for the rest of the day to ensure their safety."

"Yeah," Liz snorted. "We didn't waste three years of our lives just to be killed in some accident by a bunch of moro-"

_"Liz!"_ Damon snapped. "Be nice."

"And the boy too." Silvia added. "His memories need to be returned."

"You can restore my memories?" Damon asked hopefully.

"If you come with us she will." Liz nodded.

"Don't worry," Lucy quickly added, noticing the glares sent by the rest of the group. They obviously did not like Silvia very much at the moment. "We'll be back tomorrow, but Astrid has plans for-"

"Us to get ice cream!" Astrid pinched Lucy secretly. "I have plans for all of us, even you Silvia, to get ice cream! There's this really good place down by Ulak Lane."

"_Sure~_" Lucy chuckled. "You're just going to have _'ice cream'_ with us." She made air quotes.

"Yes." Astrid tried not to snarl through her teeth. "_Ice cream_."

"You guys smell different." Sting sniffed. "Like jewels."

"Why are going around sniffing people?" Damon sweat dropped.

"We went to the auction house." Lucy chirped. "I got my keys and Astrid got her daggers."

"And don't forget your memory Luce," Astrid reminded the blonde. "That's kind of important as well."

"Oh yeah, I got my memory back, thanks to Silvia." Lucy announced.

"Silvia? Wasn't that the name of-" Erza started to talk.

"The name of the wyvern that carried me off?" Liz finished again, which was starting to irritate everyone. "A coincidence."

"But this Silvia is able to bring memories back, I know I-" Gray murmured.

"Sensed some type of great magical power within her? I don't see how people can to that." Liz frowned. "Anyways~ I know it's only noon, but I want to take a long nap."

"Same." Astrid sighed.

"I'm a little drowsy as well." Lucy yawned.

"I finished my last packet of tac tics, so I guess I could take a nap to pass the time. But what about my memories?" Damon commented.

"Eat this." Silvia pulled out what looked to be a pearly white tac tic twice the size of a normal one. "It's not the tac tic you are so familiar to. This is what you call a tic tac from another world."

"Another world?" Happy cocked his head. "Like Edolas?"

"No," Silvia tossed the candy to Damon. "This is not form Edolas nor Earthland, but a place called 'Earth'. No magic lies within that world, but this tic tac was found in an ancient city underwater, it's a long story. Just eat it."

"You want me to eat this prototype tac tic, that was found underwater for who knows how long in another world? I'm not sure I wa-" Damon had no choice, Silvia shoved the tic tac into his mouth before he could say anything else.

Silence.

"Oh," was all he said. "Oh, hi Silvia. Ugh, it would have been better if that tic tac was cinnamon, now I'm really tired."

"Well then we'll be off." Liz hooked her elbows with Lucy and Damon as Silvia ushered on a bored Astrid. "It was nice talking with you guys! Not!"

And with that, Silvia teleported the group off to who knows where.

At first, everyone was a bit confused. Lucy and Astrid come back from the dead with a mysterious woman that holds a great deal of magic in her possession. Then the little girl who was flown away into some unknown land by a wyvern stumbles out of the bushes. And then a magical piece of candy cures Damon's memory. And don't forget the fact that they all just teleported.

Then Sting and Natsu started to panic of course. Wondering where Lucy had gone, thinking up dangerous scenarios she might be in right now.

Erza and Gray were thinking together, trying to piece out everything that happened. Who Silvia could actually have been and what does she have to do with Lucy and the others.

Happy had tried talking with Rogue, but was shunned and ignored, so the cat pouted as he scrounged the waters for fish.

Rogue was deep in thought, off in his own little world. Something had definitely happened when they were at the auction house. He noted how Lucy had tried to say something, but Astrid covered it up in a hurry. Why? The shadow Dragon Slayer was determined to find out.

* * *

**_~Ulak Lane~_**

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

"Isn't this-" Astrid began.

"The ice cream store you mentioned before? Looks like it." Lis finished.

"But why are we here?" Damon looked around.

"You had mentioned you wanted to come here before, and I have had a curiosity of what ice cream is like for centuries." Silvia peered inside.

"Wait," Astrid looked at the dragon woman. "You're telling me that you have never had ice cream before?"

"That's what I said." Silvia nodded.

"And you would always criticize the dessert not even knowing what it tastes like." I laughed.

"This is why I have come to try it." Silvia announced.

"Whoa, Silvia," Liz gawked. "You're hands are shaking!"

"No way!" I gasped and Damon's jaw dropped.

"It must be from the excitement." Astrid nodded as if she understood. "Well then what are we waiting for? The historical experience is about to begin!

**_~Later~_**

I ducked behind a chair.

"AHHHH!" Silvia screeched.

The enraged woman clutched her head in pain and kicked over the table.

"Silvia!" Astrid tried to grab the woman. "Listen to me! It's just brain freeze! It'll pass! Sil- kya!" Astrid ducked the bowl of ice cream that caused it all.

"It…It's cursed my mind!" Silvia wailed.

"Deep breaths." Astrid held Silvia's shoulders. "In. Out. Yes. Just like that. Better?"

"How can you tolerate such pain on a daily basis?" Silvia smoothed out her hectic hair.

"You should try not eating the whole thing in one scoop for one." Astrid chuckled. "And I've had years to master blocking the brain freeze. It just takes time."

"Is this some type of magic you need to learn? Brain Freeze Slaying?" Silvia glared at the now shattered glass bowl.

"Not really…" Astrid sweat dropped.

"LUCY!" The doors burst open.

I was yanked from my spot hiding by the char and held in a familiar protective grasp.

"What's going on here?" A new voice, Erza's, demanded.

"Um, she had brain freeze." I pointed to Silvia and explained. "Natsu, could you…?" I attempted to pry his arms away but they wouldn't budge.

"And I thought you said you were going to keep Lucy safe!" Sting snorted. "Look at the place! It looks like the Grand Magic Games took place in this very store!"

And it did. With a few broken chairs and windows strewn about as well as the occasional table knocked over.

"Brain Freeze." Silvia muttered. "I shall conquer it, and become the mighty dragon I once was."

* * *

**It wasn't as long as I hoped. Not updating for a week led me to believe I was going to make this a really long chapter. But no, it's just average.**

**None of you ever got that last trivia question right. There was another girl, briefly mentioned a while back with mouse brown hair, there's your hint. So review! I'm actually looking forward to the angry ones for some strange reason.**

**Bye!~**


	70. Hotel

**I die a little inside every day I fail to update, I truly do. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Ulak Lane~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

"Congratulations." I clapped sarcastically.

Six hours. _Six Hours_. Six hours training the dragon lady to eat as much ice cream as she wants without getting brain freeze. Lucy had fallen asleep in the corner long ago after Team Natsu and the others had left, confused. Damon and Liz were discussing mushy sibling stuff.

"I have mastered the Brain Freeze Slaying." Silvia stood confidently.

"Brain Freeze Slaying doesn't exist…" I grumbled. "It's six already, you wasted my sixth day of vacation Silvia, thanks. Now I only have one more day-"

"So you can go to that dinner party~" Lucy crept of behind me, I flinched.

"Lucy? I thought you were sleeping." I stepped away.

"I was just waiting for my opportunity to come up." Lucy chuckled.

"Opportunity?" I raised a brow. "Oh."

I see where this is going.

"Ne, Silvia? I'm pretty sure you can manifest up a fancy dress, right?" Lucy grinned.

"I never said I was going in the first place!" I objected before things could get nasty.

"But you didn't decline him." Lucy crossed her arms.

"Because he left before I got the chance." I nodded.

"So you are going to decline? Your long lost best friend?" Lucy smirked.

"W-Well if you put it that way you make me sound cruel." I sighed. "Even though I am."

"In every way!" Liz yelled from the other side of the store.

"But I'm not going to let you decline." Lucy refused.

"And why can't I?" I asked.

"Because," She smiled. "I'll tell if you do."

"Tell?" I snorted. "Who?"

"Rooogue." She leaned in and whispered.

"R-Rogue?" I looked away. "S-So what if you tell him?"

"Heh heh." Lucy looked like the devil for a moment.

"St-Stop making that face." I paled.

"Oh?" Silvia was practicing her new skill and noticed the tension. "Who is this Rogue?"

"The dark looking guy from earlier." Lucy described.

"Ah, the Shadow Dragon Slayer." Silvia nodded

"Yep, that's him." I said awkwardly.

"I do not approve of his uncommunicative behavior." Silvia tsked.

"Um, okay?" I blinked. "You make it sound like we're in a relationship."

"Aren't you?" Liz butted in. "You guys always talk."

"No." I denied. "We don't."

"But he obviously likes you more than anyone." Damon came in as well.

"Stop lying." I frowned. "Lying is a sin."

"But A-" Lucy tried to say.

"What about you Luce?" I turned on her. "What's up with this whole love triangle thing going on?"

"L-Love triangle?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "I don't know what you're tal-"

"Oh don't play dumb, Sting and Natsu." I rolled my eyes. "Just because the polls are tie- mph!"

Lucy had clamped her hand over my mouth. "Shh! They weren't supposed to know!"

"Oh yeah, well whatever." I continued. "Doesn't mean you still can't choose. Oh yeah, I've been wondering, Liz, how's your love life been going on?"

"Love life?" She snorted. "I've been stuck with you for the past three years, how do you think it's going?!"

"Geez," I muttered and turned away. "It was just a question. Now can we please leave? I'm tired."

"I suppose we shall take our leave now that I have accomplished my task." Silvia rose. "In celebration to my new skill, I've booked a hotel."

"YES!" Lucy cheered. "No more trees for me!"

* * *

**_~Hotel~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Wow," Gray murmured. "I didn't think we'd be able to afford to stay in a place like this."

"It's all thanks to Happy!" Natsu grinned.

"Aye!"

After leaving Lucy and the rest in the ice cream store, Team Natsu and the Sabers were in desperate need for money, and a place to stay. Naturally, no one really wanted to do anything. But a rich lady saw Happy flying around with his angelic wings and fell for his cuteness immediately. Noticing the state they were in, she had offered them a few hundred thousand jewels along with one night at the hotel she owned and managed.

"That woman was surprisingly generous." Sting thought aloud. "All for some cat, I bet Lector could have done better."

"No! Lector is too mean!" Happy denied.

"Lector, you exceed?" Erza remembered. "Why do you not have him around like Natsu and Happy? And Rogue too, he had the frog thing."

"Frosch." Rogue growled. "They stayed behind, too addicted to the new lacrima vision we got after Sting broke the old one."

"Hey! It was an accident!" Sting protested.

"May I help you?" The man at the counter asked.

They had been standing in line, waiting to book the free room and time just flew by in the midst of the argument.

"Uh yeah, Ann Wentzel said we could get a free room." Natsu spoke up.

"Ah yes, she said we should be expecting visitors, a cat as well I presume?" He began to shuffle papers.

"Aye!" Happy walked on the countertop. "Do you have any fish?"

"I do not believe se carry such supplies." The man shook his head.

"Your suite will be in room 7-H, here is your lacrima key card and have a nice day." He sent them off.

* * *

**_~Later~_**

**_~Normal POV~_**

"Hmph," Astrid scanned her surroundings. "Fancy."

"Yes, I've heard that this five star hotel is the best in the region." Silvia walked up to the front counter.

"Too fancy." Astrid shook her head and sighed. "As long as they have room service and serve ice cream I'll accept."  
"I need a suite for five please. King sized beds for all, kitchen, master bathroom, fireplace, and a balcony." Silvia listed off.

"And how long do you plan on staying?" She looked up from the paperwork.

"Just one night."

"That would be a total of…500,000J."

Silvia manifested a shiny looking card from her pocket. The woman at the counter typed up the number and then smiled in satisfactory.

"Your room will be 7-G, have a nice day." The lady smiled and handed Silvia a blue key card.

"Well that was easy, there wasn't even any security." Damon said in amazement.

This hotel is protected my privacy magic. If there is a person that entered the building with murderous or evil intentions, they will be immediately arrested. While in your rooms, anyone outside of your suite cannot smell, hear, or see what is going on inside." Silvia explained.

"Well that'd be helpful for a lot of things." Lucy smiled. "Like when annoying Dragon Slayers barge in all of the time."

"7-G…7-G…oh!" Liz looked through the hotel directory hanging on the wall. "It's supposed to be on the seventh floor."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Astrid leaped to the nearest elevator. "Just a few more moments before I can sleep for what I have left of my vacation time!"

She pressed the 'up' button impatiently. When the doors finally _ding_ed open, she ran into someone as she rushed inside.

"S-Sorry." It wasn't Astrid who spoke.

"You better watch where you're go- Ryan? What are you doing here?" Astrid helped her up.

Silvia and the others walked up to the elevator and Lucy suppressed a menacing chuckle.

"My aunt owns the place." He scratched his head sheepishly. "This means I'm going to have to run this place soon. So I've been staying here for the past few weeks knowing how things work around here."

"Oh." Astrid showed no interest. "Sounds complicated."

"Y-Yeah, what about you? Why are you here?" Ryan asked the same question.

"I'm going to be staying here for the night, can't sleep in a forest forever." Astrid nodded.

"Eh? Forest?" Ryan asked, confused.

"I said I've been looking for some rest." Astrid quickly corrected.

"Well it's nice to know that you're going to be staying here Ash." He smiled. "And I'm looking forward to tomorrow's dinner!"

Then he dashed out of sight around the corner and Lucy let out her laughter.

"Shut up." Astrid mumbled and entered the elevator. "Or I'll leave you guys behind."

"Who was that guy?" Damon entered the elevator and pressed the button that said '7'.

"Yeah, he was kind of cute." Liz chimed in.

"L-Lizzy!" Damon replied horrified, not wanting his little sister to be talking about boys.

"Well he is." Lucy agreed. "But not really my type…"

"Oh? You have a type?" Silvia became interested. "Dragon Slayers?"

"E-Eh?!" Lucy paled. "I thought we were only going to tease Ash!"

"Oh?" The temperature suddenly dropped as Astrid turned an ice glare on the blonde.

"Wh-What I mean is um…" Lucy scrambled to the other side of the elevator and pressed her back against the wall, trying to get as far away from the devil as she could.

_Ding._

The doors slid open.

"Saved by the bell…" Lucy breathed and quickly exited and hurried down the hall.

* * *

**Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to update everyday like before.**

**Review! I was so happy yesterday, or was it two days ago? Can't remember, anyways, I GOT A THOUSAND REVIEWS! Thank you! ****_Thank you!_**** THANK YOU! Oh, and that trivia question from before is still unanswered.**

**Bye! ~**


	71. Buffet

**I had to finish watching Attack on Titan before I did anything else, reason being why I didn't update. I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**_~Cremer~_**

**_~Hotel~_**

**_~Astrid's POV~_**

Entering the suite, I didn't even bother to look at my exquisite surroundings. I just navigated my way toward one of the large bedrooms and dove toward the king sized bed.

Liz came in soon after, but I chucked a pillow at the head and told her to leave me alone. I was way too exhausted to deal with the annoying brat right now. It was about seven-ish at night and tomorrow was my last day of vacation. I never thought so many things could happen in a week.

But Liz was the least of my worries, Ryan. What's up with him? Inviting me to some fancy dinner party. I don't even own a skirt let alone a dress. I shivered at the thought of wearing a girly dress, I liked my leather jacket. But seriously, what am I supposed to do? Should I show up and die of boredom while listening to everyone talk about politics and whatnot, or do I sleep away, dreaming of ice cream?

I groaned and buried myself in the blankets. I had only gotten about an hour or so of sleep when a knock on the door disturbed me from my slumber.

"What?" I growled.

"Dinner." It was Lucy.

"Not hungry." I replied.

"Too bad." She insisted. "The hotel is holding a buffet on the twelfth floor in celebration of their tenth anniversary. All guests are required to come."

"Buffet?" I becameinterested. "Buffets have desserts, like ice cream, right?"

"Yes." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"You guys can go up there and tell them I'm not feeling well. Then you can bring me the ice cream once you get back." I planned, not wanting to leave the cozy bed.

"I don't think so." The voice was different, and right next to me.

"Ah!" I jumped back.

Silvia leaned over me and stared with a dark glare. "Astrid Moonlea you are coming to the buffet."

"Bu-"

"Or we will leave this instant, never to return to another hotel for an eon." She blackmailed.

"I'm not even going to live for an eon." I grumbled and rolled out of bed.

I landed on the plush carpet. It was so soft, equal to the comfort of the bed.

"Maybe I'll just stay here." I murmured, then I took a peek at Silvia.

Her facial features looked more reptilian than human. "Or not." I sprang up and dragged my feet as I made my way out.

"Oh there she is." Damon said as I walked into the kitchen where the others waited. "Shouldn't you be dressed a little more…formal?"

Damon was wearing a suit, which was weird. Liz wore a pink flowery dress shirt thingy and white leggings. Lucy had a crème pencil skirt with an elegant lavender blouse. And Silvia was…Silvia. Imagine a majestic looking dragon too amazing to put into words, now morph that image into a human.

"I don't see why I should." I shrugged.

My leather jacket covered my black tank top and my black and slightly ripped skinny jeans were way too comfortable. I examined my combat boots with awe and watched the chain looped in with the belt loops swing around.

"So when does this buffet thing start?" I looked at the wall clock.

"Um, it should start in about…fifteen minutes ago." Liz looked at the brochure placed on the counter.

"Oh well, that's a shame." I smiled cheerfully and walked back to the bedroom.

I halted to a sudden stop when I saw Silvia, still glaring at me.

"It does not matter if we are a millennium late, we will go to that buffet." She insisted.

"We're not going to be living for a millennium anyways." Damon chuckled. "Let's go Lizzy; I hear they have a wicked chocolate parfait."

* * *

**_~Normal POV~_**

The banquet hall looked like a scene that belonged in a castle. Ice sculptures of swords and other weaponry lined the walls. Every guest seemed to have attended in formal clothing.

"Look at all that food!" Natsu flew over to the fire chicken. "And they even have fire chicken! This is amazing!"

"The ice sculptures are well carved." Gray marveled the designed.

"Their cake is sublime." Erza finished her third slice.

"These steaks aren't half bad." Sting tore into his fifth.

"Aye sir! They have an endless selection of fish as well!" Happy's backpack was about to burst.

Rogue sat in his own seat in the very back, trying his best to not look like a savage beast as he devowered the plate of ribs in front of him.

"Thank you! Ladies! Gentlemen! And even cats!" Ann Wentzel stepped up to the podium at the head of the enormous room. "I have gathered you all here to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Excalibur! Fiore's well known five star, maybe even six, hotel!"

The guests all cheered.

"I would like to introduce my nephew Ryan, a promising heir to bear the title 'manager' by the time I retire." Ann announced as the young man stepped up.

Rogue suddenly lost interest in the ribs, sensing some bad vibes coming off of this guy. He's not much of a threat, he obtained a minimal about of magic power. But why then? What's with that feeling?

Ann Wentzel stepped off of the podium as Ryan stepped on. He declared a short, but moving, speech on his ideas to improve the hotel so it can be infamous all across Earthland. Although Ryan seemed very intelligent and convincing, there was something missing. It was as if he had no interest in taking over the hotel once Ann's time was over. Almost like he had another goal.

After the speech, everyone continued on with their filling dinner. Fifteen minutes had passed and everything seemed to be going smoothly. It was too good to be true.

* * *

**_~Lucy's POV~_**

After Astrid had finally convinced Silvia that she could wear her normal clothes to the buffet banquet thing, we left the suite and exited down the halls.

The place was really big, we got lost a dozen times, and somehow we ended up in the laundry room. There were stacks and stacks of towels lining everything, it was a gigantic maze. When we finally escaped, Astrid had announced that she had dropped her gold dagger in the laundry room a while back. After another fifteen minutes, we retrieved the weapon.

Of course Damon just had to run out of his tac tics when the dining hall was just a few wings away. Silvia insisted that we stay together and she refused to use her powers to assist us with our dilemmas, much to Astrid's annoyance.

The buffet had probably started an hour ago by the time we faced the doors.

"Ugh," Astrid slumped her shoulders. "It's about time."

"I'm starving." Damon inhaled deeply, smelling the delicious aromas that wafted toward us.

Liz pushed open the large wooden doors, revealing a roomful of people. Some were eating, others were getting more food, others were arguing, laughing, talking, hugging, and enjoying each other's company.

I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I found myself already seated at a table with Liz, Damon, and Ash, with a plate of food in front of me. I don't know where Silvia had gone off to, but I didn't really have the patience to wonder. I immediately dug into the heap of food, only to be interrupted.

"Astrid?" I heard a voice.

I still ate as I looked up to see Ryan of all people make his way over to our table. There was this tugging in my gut and I knew that something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.

"Oh," Astrid stopped savoring the bacon for a moment and turned his way. "Hey Ryan, what are you doing here?"

"My aunt also runs the place." He stated.

I nodded in understanding, of course he'd be the one who would have to inherit the hotel afterwards, I pity him. Astrid too had a look in her eyes that she knew what he was talking about.

"Hey!" It was Liz who spoke. "You're that guy from before! Ryan?"

She had a dreamy look in her eyes. I stifled a laugh when I noticed Damon's hateful gaze when he noticed that Liz showed some kind on interest in this guy.

"Uh, yeah..." Ryan answered. "How is the food?"

"Oh it's marvelous." Damon sneered. "It'd be even better if you got the hell out of-"

"What's up with the tac tic addict?" Astrid peered over at Damon, sensing his bad mood.

"Oh don't mind him." I chucked a caramel at the overprotective Damon.

"Anyways," Astrid cast a strange glance at the redhead before focusing on Ryan. "About the dinner thing tomorrow-"

"I'm sure you will have a wonderful time." Ryan pulled a vacant chair over and sat by Ash.

Yep, something is definitely going to happen.

"Hey Damon," I whispered as I scooted closer to him. "Do you feel it?"

"Yeah." He nodded slowly and ate some popcorn, his eyes never straying from the two. "Something is defiantly going to happen."

"What are we whispering about?" Liz joined us. "The food or the fact that Rogue is marching over here as we speak?"

I widened my eyes and gasped.

"Uh oh."

* * *

**Have you ever tried salt and vinegar popcorn? Totally off topic here but I tried it for the first time today, it was awful.**

**Review! I really appreciate all of this; I send you all a virtual cookie to say thanks, why? Because cookies are delicious. But if you're allergic, then you can have one item of your choice from Excalibur's buffet, enjoy!**

**Bye!~**


End file.
